Push
by SignsofSam
Summary: Haley's always had a hard life. First her parents, then her boyfriend...but now, it's all about to change CHAPTER FOURTEEN FEBRUARY 21st!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! This is my new story! Um, this is just a trial to see if anyone likes it...I hope to have chapter two soon**

**DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN OTH!

**rating:** T; anyone who knows my writing knows I like my profanity

**Chapter One: Runaway**

Haley whimpered slightly as she pressed a cold rag onto the cut on her forehead, looking over at her boyfriend, now passed out on the couch, bottle hanging limply off the couch. She shook her head, regretting it immediately as a headache passed over her temples, finally settling between her eyes. "Shit."

She threw the rag into the sink, going to the counter to grab the huge bottle of Ibuprofen. Instantly, the top came off, and four pills slid languidly down to her open palm. She swallowed them dry, then returned to the sink, back to the project at hand.

He used to not be this way. He used to be talented, good looking, not some lazy drunk who took pleasure in hitting her and being unemployed. He used to be….her love. He used to promise her her dreams, achieve to make those dreams possible.

Not so much anymore.

"He hit you again." She looked up, ignoring her brother. "When are you finally gonna say it's enough, Haley? He hit you!"

"What do you know?" she snapped, turning to glare at her brother. "I don't exactly see Mom or Jake over here apologizing for hitting you."

"You notice I'm not anywhere near them now, am I? Look at him, Hales-he's passed out on the couch; he threw up on himself!"

"Great. That just means I have to clean it up," Haley responded, finally satisfied that the blood flow had stopped. She cleaned off her hands, looking back at her brother. Nick was only sixteen, a runaway who had come to join his sister after being badly beaten by their mom and his dad. "I'm sorry, Nick. I wish I could tell you something that could make this better, somewhere for us to go, someone to help us out, but I can't. I don't know how to get out of this mess. Yet."

"You know, I used to think you were the bravest person I knew. Operative word being used," Nick replied, turning. She flinched slightly as she heard the door slam, turning away to stare at herself in a mirror. Her hand came up to trail down the scars on her neck, leading down to her shoulder and back. The accident-this was the accident that changed her life.

A car had hit them head-on going eighty, sending their own car spinning and fishtailing into a guard rail. TJ had been thrown from the car, falling sixteen feet to the ground. He lost his job as an up-and-coming model, because who wanted to hire the disfigured man?

"HALEY!" she heard him scream, eyes lazily opening. "Haley! Bring me ma beer!"

"I can't! One of us has to go to work!" she screamed, making her way to their bedroom to change. She was twenty-one; she should have been enjoying her last year in college; instead, she was working at a club as a waitress, hearing lewd comments slung at her every night.

"HALEY! I WANT MA BEER!" TJ yelled, pushing his way off the couch, slamming his fist on the bedroom door. "HALEY!" She pushed herself into the back wall of the closet, looking around. She wondered when this would finally put her over the edge; when would she finally fight back?

Apparently, though, it wasn't today. She was too tired, and that took way too much energy, energy she knew she'd be spending on cleaning herself up tonight.

**----PUSH----**

"Sixty-two, sixty-seven, sixty eight, sixty-nine, seventy, ninety, hundred, hundred and five…" Haley counted, concentrating on the money in front of her on the bar, momentarily glancing at the quick calculations she had beside her. This month, if she worked it correctly, she might be able to pay all the bills on time. "Hundred-ten, hundred-thirty, thirty one, thirty-two, thirty seven…and that makes fifty-seven." She straightened out the last of the bills, adding it to the stack before rolling it and stuffing it in her apron pocket. "Jim, I'm off!" she yelled, giving her boss a wave as she headed toward the back. She untied her apron, throwing the money in her purse as she clocked out.

She slid into her car, a dinky, barely running 1986 Honda that needed it's transmission fixed, the oil changed, and a new set of brakes. The tires were low, the 'Check Coolant' and 'Check Engine' lights were always illuminated, but it got her from work to the small trailer she shared with TJ and Nick. It was the only car they could afford with the little money they made from the settlement after they paid off their hospital debts.

The car puttered into life, and she sighed as she heard the familiar alarms go off. She buckled herself in, turning onto the empty side street that lead to the trailer park. She hit the radio a couple of times before it finally turned on to the last station Nick programmed on it. It was a sport's channel, but of course.

It took her exactly ten minutes to get home; twelve if there was traffic. Ten minutes of peace until the war of her life irrupted again. She looked up at the trailer, surprised to see some of the lights on. She turned off her car, forcing the emergency break into place before opening her door, climbing out of the car, locking the doors

"TJ, Nick, I'm home!" she called, setting down her purse. "Nicky?" She heard a soft cry, and followed the voice to the kitchen. "Ni-" She gasped, running to her brother. "Nick, what happened?"

He looked like a punching bag. Or like her after one of the bad days. "Ask your…stupid…boyfriend," Nick whispered, leaning his head back to the fake wood cabinets. "How long are you gonna put up with this, Haley?"

"Let me see your chin, Nicky," she changed the subject, turning on the overhead light. "Was he drunk?"

"Yeah. Talking about me being an asshole, or something," Nick replied, cringing as she pressed a wet cloth on his chin, wiping off the blood.

"Keep that on there, Nick-wipe off the blood, rinse out the rag, place it back on there, okay? I'll be back in a second." She jumped up, running toward her bedroom, seeing her boyfriend on the couch, yet again. She turned on the light, looking around. She grabbed a bag, throwing in clothes, jewelry, tooth brush, money. She looked around, finding some shirts and sweats for Nick. This was it; this was the last straw. She wouldn't put up with it anymore. Not when he started hitting her brother.

She was zipping up the two bags when she came back to the kitchen, setting them on the ground as she opened the fridge, emptying the bottles of water, handing them to Nick. "Take them. We're leaving. Now." She helped him up, grabbing the bottle of pills and some bandages. She hurried her brother out of the trailer, glancing back once before climbing into the car, throwing all their stuff into the back seat.

"I can't believe you're leaving. Where are going?"

"I don't know…we'll find somewhere I'm sure," she whispered, glimpsing at her brother before turning the keep her eyes on the road. He was smiling.

**----PUSH----**

"Uh, where are we exactly?" Nick asked as they pulled into a lush neighborhood. He didn't recognize it; they had been driving for days, and the landscape was kind of staring to blend together.

"Tree Hill, North Carolina. You really wouldn't remember it- Mom and Jake moved when you were ten. I used to have friends here-I know someone who will probably help us."

"Who?"

"His name's Nathan-he was an old friend who told me if I needed anything that'd he'd be there. And so-I need something."

"Yeah, but housing your seventeen year old brother? I don't think that's what he meant," Nick said, looking at the black brace they had to put on his wrist in Alabama. The doctor there said it was badly bruised, but, thankfully, not broken. "And how do you know his address? Technically, you haven't spoken in…six years?"

"I can just hope, Nick. That's it. If he doesn't want to help, then I don't know what I'm going to do…but I guess I'll jump that hurdle when I come to it," she answered, turning into a driveway. The house before them was massive, three stories tall, a huge fountain in the middle of the circular driveway.

"How the _hell_ do you know someone who lives here?" Nick questioned, getting out of the car. His face was littered with bruises, but, thankfully, most of them were beginning to fade. The cut across her forehead hadn't healed, in fact, it was still bleeding at some parts. But she really couldn't worry about that…she needed to convince Nathan that she needed a place to stay.

"Nick, stay by the car. I'll be back soon," she instructed, looking up at the big wooden front door. She studied it, smiling slightly when she found the doorbell and rung it. A clatter of footsteps, the lock of the door turning…

"Hello?" a little girl asked, opening the door slightly. She was adorable, with brown curls and big blue eyes staring up at the twenty-one-year-old.

"Can I please talk to Nathan?" Haley asked miserably, pushing her long brown hair behind her ear, biting her lip anxiously. The door closed, and she stared at the frosted glass for a moment, hearing voices on the inside.

"Um, I don't know what my daughter told you, but we're not interested." The voice was blunt, coming from a tall, broad shoulder man who opened the door. His blue eyes widened a little, as if in recognition, but he still made a move to close the door. She put her hand out, stopping the door. "Lady-"

"My name is Haley James, Nathan. You remember me….from high school…I used to be friends with you," she introduced herself, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, she sighed, but continued. "Or, at least, I hoped you remembered me. Because I kind of need a favor."

"Haley! Oh my God!" he said excitedly, wrapping her in a hug. She cringed, his hands accidently whispering across the bruises on her back. He let her go, looking at her suspiciously. "Last I heard, your mom said you went off with your boyfriend to Texas."

"Yeah, that was a bad idea. And, kinda technically why I'm here. I need a place to stay for awhile…um, kinda until I get on my feet," she answered, looking up at him. "I think you can tell why I need a place to stay."

"He beat you?"

"It…it didn't start until we were in a car accident awhile back. He's just gotten worse since then…and he hit my brother…I couldn't stay there today," she supplied, glancing back at her brother, noticing Nathan looking at him.

"Oh my God. Haley, why didn't you call the police?" Nathan asked, going down to the driveway. "Did you take him to a doctor?"

"Yeah…most of it's bruises and little cuts, but TJ bruised his arm pretty badly. I know you haven't seen me in awhile, and I know this is awkward, but I would really appreci-"

"Don't worry about it. You can stay-as long as you need."

"Are you sure? 'Cause I can't pay you-"

"It's okay. If you'll look after my daughter for me, we'll call it even," Nathan replied quickly, still examining Nick's bad cut on his upper arm. "That might need stitches."

"It had them-I had an allergic reaction to some of it…so I pulled them out." Nick was glaring at Nathan behind his hazel eyes, already untrusting of him. No one…no one had ever been so good to the James family without wanting something in return. Something bigger than watching some kid.

"Pulling your stitches out isn't exactly a smart idea," Nathan commented, realizing that Haley's brother did not want to talk to him. "Lucas is going to freak when I tell him who's here."

"How is he?"

"Luke's been good…he's still a player, but he's got a new girl that I think is gonna make him want to settle down. Still plays ball for Boston, so I don't get to see him so much any more."

"What about you?"

"I'm starting back this season with Charlotte."

"Charlotte? As in the Bobcats?" Nick asked, nearly gagging.

"Yeah. I play basketball-how do you think I afford this house?"

"I'd assume you inherited the money without actually working for it," Nick answered bluntly, giving the man a smirk.

"You're a little bit cynical, aren't you?" Nathan snapped back, looking back at his house as the little girl came out, running toward her father. "Tess, what are you doing out here?"

"Spongebob on! We watch!" the girl demanded, looking at Haley and Nick. "Who they, Daddy?"

"Okay, Tess…I'll be there in just a second. Can you turn the TV to Nickelodeon? It's channel 23." He kissed his daughter's forehead, setting her down on the driveway. "Do you have any bags? I'll take them in for you, showing you where you can stay."

"Are you sure you don't mind, Nathan? I can find-I'm sure I can find somewhere to stay…"

"I already told you it was okay, Haley. It's not an inconvenience or anything so in," Nathan said, quietly taking the two bags from the back of her car. "I'll come back and put your car in the garage. Nick, maybe we can get a doctor over here to look at you…Jake's a pretty good one…" At the name, Nick flinched, quickly swapping a look with his sister as his heart began to race. "Kid, Jake's not gonna hurt you; Jake couldn't hurt a fly."

"I bet you he could," Nick whispered, edging away from Nathan. "I'm fine. I don't need a doctor."

"You have an open would on your ar-"

"I'm not seeing any damn man named Jake!" yelled the teenager, fist  
tightening.

"Okay, okay, buddy. We-"

"Don't call me buddy."

"Okay…Nick…why don't we go inside?" Nathan whispered, changing the subject. He looked at Haley, who shook her head softly and communicated that she'd tell him Nick's story later…preferably when Nick wasn't there to hear it and shatter once again.

**----PUSH----**

"So, what's with your broody brother?" Nathan asked Haley as he handed her some towels for her private in-suite bathroom. She had the room across from his, right beside Tess'. "I mean, I thought I was pretty nice to him and he kinda-"

"Nick's come from a family where help comes in the form of wanting something in return. Nick wanted to play ball, and in return, he, um, had to do some decrepit things for Jake, his father, who was also his abuser. He's had it pretty tough the past years…TJ hitting him just totally ruined any trust he had in men."

"Decrepit things?"

"Let's just say he got a lot of beatings until he learned how to be a good pick-pocket. He came to stay with me after his father called him some pretty harsh names. He'll get used to you, I hope; if he doesn't, it's not like he has anywhere else to go," Haley replied, glancing at the laceration on her forehead. "Again-thank you, Nathan. I really appreciate this…"

"And for the last time, it's no problem. It's…I'm glad to have you here." He gave her a small smile, watching her look out the window, a look of uncertainty on her face: uncertain of herself, of the man standing behind her, but, most importantly, her future.

**Good? Bad? REVIEWING IS NICE!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

-1**OH MY GOD, you guy's are all great! Thank you so much for all of your replies! I love you all!**

DISCLAIMER:I DO NOT OWN OTH...also, rated T for profanity, cause i use it lots, oooh, and i DO NOT KNOW IF ALL THIS MEDICAL STUFF IS RIGHT...it might be like 4 right

**Chapter Two: In Your Corner **  
Nick shot the ball, smirking as it hit the rim, skimmed it, and finally sunk into the net.

"You're good," Nathan said, stepping out onto the driveway, watching the kid flinch and back away, as if he did it in habit. "Sorry. I can leave-"

"It's your house; why should you leave?" Nick whispered, looking down at the ball in between his feet.

"You know, I don't hit," Nathan stated bluntly, making Nick look up. "I know…I know your dad hit you and I know her boyfriend hit you-but not all of us are like that, Nick. Not all of us would do something that horrible."

"Somehow, I don't believe you," Nick replied, grabbing his ball and moving past the twenty-two-year-old, into the house. He closed the door, leaning against it as he felt his heart start to calm down. He jumped a mile into the air when he felt something pull on his pants. He looked down, giving Tess a smile. "Hey. Can I help you?"

"I want eat, but high!" Tess whined, giving him the puppy-dog eyes. "Can help?"

"Sure," Nick whispered, bending down to pick her up. She directed him to the kitchen, pointing to a box of animal crackers on the countertop. "You want these, Tess?"

"Nicholas William, don't you dare give her those crackers! You'll ruin her dinner!" Haley chided as she entered the kitchen, giving him a slow smile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good enough," Nick answered, again flinching with the door closed and Nathan entered the room. "The bed was nice. Sure as hell wasn't like my old one."

"Nick, language! Tess is four-she doesn't need to hear foul words!" Haley smacked her brother's arm, taking the girl from him. "Your arm is still bleeding," she whispered, looking at the bloodstain on the blue t-shirt. "Maybe you should see that doctor that Nathan was talking about, Nicky-"

"No!" Nick hissed, glancing at his sister, then to Nathan, watching the two with raised eyebrows. "Hales-"

"Nick, I'm not taking no for an answer. Look at it-it looks infected!"

"Shut up! Just shut up! For God's sake, this is my life! Not yours'! Let me make my own choices!" Nick yelled, stalking out of the kitchen, slamming a door on the way out. Haley sighed, glancing at Nathan.

"As I said, he's had a tough time. And people name Jake scare him. His father used to beat him senseless. Him and me both. When I left, I left him alone; there was no one to protect him from all that torture-he was only thirteen. He came to us when he was fifteen-for about the first two months, TJ was so kind to him-and then the accident happened…" she babbled on, looking at the countertop. "And then-"

"And it was all shot to hell?"

"Yeah."

"I can see if Brooke, Jake's wife, who's the receptionist, can fit Nick in with Peyton. She's Jake's business partner, and a pediatrician."

"Will you? I'd be grateful."

"No problem, Haley. And no, I don't expect you to pay me back. You just being here for Tess is enough," Nathan said, looking at his daughter, who had fallen asleep on Haley's shoulder.

"If I'm not intruding, can I asked what happened to Tess' mom?" Haley whispered, looking up into his blue eyes.

"We were seventeen, she was young, and she thought she couldn't handle it. She left Tess with me after she was discharged. I haven't heard or seen from her since-and I plan to keep it that way," Nathan replied, taking his daughter. "I love my daughter with all my heart, and I wouldn't change what's happened since I've had her for the world."

"You know, that's sickeningly sweet?" Haley commented, laughing.

"That's the first time I've heard you laugh."

"That's the first time I've had something to laugh about in awhile. I don't exactly get the opportunity on a regular basis. Especially with TJ and Nick and my mom and Jake and just my whole sucky life in general," Haley said, handing Tess to her father. "I need to go talk to my brother. He's pretty pissed at me, for lack of a better term."

Nathan nodded, giving her a small smile. "Sure. And try to get he concept of a non-abusive guy into his head, cause it's a little disheartening that he flinches anytime I come near him."

"I'll try, but with Nick, there are no promises." She gave him a last, farewell smile as she trekked upstairs, knocking softly on the door that housed Nick's room. She opened it without an answer, shaking her head softly at her brother, engrossed in the hard beats of his rock bands. She grabbed his small, stuffed basketball, part of a trio he had for the rim on the back of the door, aiming and hitting him in the temple.

"What the hell?" he practically yelled, ripping off his headphones. "What do you want?"

"You know, for a charity case, you sure have one snotty attitude to the man providing your safety at this point in time," she snapped, glaring at him. "You're being a jackass."

"Well, look who I've had to look up to: my dad, and TJ. What inspiration," Nick snapped back, throwing his CD player down by his feet. "What a great guy I'm gonna end up being-an abusive alcoholic who's unemployed and living off the woman I beat."

"Nice insult towards me, asshole," she spat out, standing up. "Just once, you might want to think about why I do the things do. Why I just stood there and took it. I could have just as easily let him at you-or better yet, send you back to your dad. You do know that's what our last argument was over, don't you?"

Nick physically gulped, looking out the window by his bed. "See, you've got it pretty good here, Nick," Haley continued, still observing her younger brother. "Right now, you can just sit here and make shit-faced comments to me, but you just think about it. Maybe next time, you'll choose your battles with me more carefully." She turned to leaven, then turned back to him. "You're going to the doctor, by the way. See, Nathan, being the nice guy that he is, is calling in a favor to get his friend Peyton to look at your arm. Maybe you ought to try being nice to him next time."

"Maybe you forgot, Haley, but the last time I was nice to some guy, I got beat senseless," Nick replied, his jaw tightening and spasming. She nodded, closing the door behind her as she left.

**----PUSH----**

"Oh. My. God."

"No, Peyt, I did **NOT** do this to him!" Nathan complained as his friend glared at him suspiciously. "The last time I beat someone up it was in high school!"

"Then who did it, Nathan? His arm-"

"Haley's boyfriend did it. You remember Haley, don't you? She was in my grade, one of my good friends. She showed up yesterday and needed some place to stay, and I couldn't say no," Nathan explained, looking at Haley through the thin window of the examination room. She was sitting by her brother, giving him an encouraging smile as she rubbed his forearm softly. "How is he?"

"Really messed up. He's lucky his arm isn't broken, though the x-reys reveal that it has been broken at some point in time and seriously screwed up when it was healing. I'm gonna fix that as best I can today. He's also pretty damn lucky in the face department-he didn't fracture anything. He broke three ribs, and I'm gonna give him some stitches made of a different material so it doesn't cause that allergic reaction," Peyton reported, looking at Nick's chart. "He's also a little malnourished, but I'd expect that with a kid in his situation. I'll prescribe him some vitamins for that, as well as some for the infection he has, and some light painkillers."

"Okay. How much is this gonna cost? Or, better yet, I can pay in cash, right?" Nathan asked, giving his friend a tight smile.

"Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go talk to Haley and Nick now," Peyton replied, opening the door to the room. "Hey, Nick. Your sister been driving you crazy?"

"No, ma'am," Nick breathed out, staring at the wall. His memories of doctor's offices was never good, always having to explain away bumps, bruises and breaks his father caused. The doctor then usually looked past it and just  
patched him up.

"Well, okay. So, the good news is, as I'm sure you already know, your arm isn't broken. However, the X-reys show that it has been broken before and it hasn't healed correctly. There are a couple options there, but not a lot; um, surgery would be the one I'd recommend; I would go in and correct the bone that's bent at a odd angle-your ulna- with a rod."

"Um, we can't afford that," Haley whispered, looking down in shame.

"We can work something out, Haley. You're Nathan's friend, and I'm known for my pro bono work. Or there's a brace we can put on it that would basically push against the bone to try and straighten it. That's what I want to do right now."

"Okay. We can do that."

"Okay. Um, he didn't fracture any of his bones in his face, which is good for him, but he broke three of his ribs. We'll tape them up, but it's gonna hurt for awhile. And I'm going to stitch his arm back up with a different material thread that shouldn't cause an allergic reaction."

"I hate stitches," Nick commented, looking up at Haley. "Please don't make me get them."

"Nicky, you have to have them. They'll help your arm heal," she replied, giving him a soft smile. "Anything else?"

"I'm prescribing a couple different pills-his bones are malnourished, and there's not enough calcium in his system, so he's going to take a very simple calcium pill, as well as making sure he's drink milk or eating eggs-lots of calcium. There's a simple antibiotic for his allergic reaction, and a light pain pill-it's about two Advil in one."

"Okay. Thank you," Haley said, looking out the window, directing her words to Nathan as well.

**----PUSH----**

Haley stared at the Baby Grand in Nathan's foyer, glancing around to make sure no one was around. She went to the piano, fingers running along the marble black and white keys as she sat at the bench. She pressed against the keys, smiling slightly as she heard that most precious sound of the notes melding together.

_Strike of lightening  
I hide under my bed,  
Fear's wide in my eyes  
'casue they're home again  
I tremble as I turn,  
trying to fall asleep  
as the words start pouring down  
a hero is what I need._

Are you a hero?  
Are you the light  
on the darkest night?  
Will you lead me home,  
to a safe place?  
Are you the hero that's gonna  
fight these injustices I face?

Nathan stood at the bottom step, Haley's voice pervading the lower level. He was captivated. Her voice was filled with emotion-raw and almost painful as it captured the raw emotion she felt.

_Cruel words are thrown  
a slap comes in the dark,  
an insult is thrown,  
an order barked.  
And I tremble on,  
praying for a sign,  
hoping that one day,  
my life will be truly mine._

Are you a hero?  
Are you the light  
on the darkest night?  
Will you lead me home,  
to a safe place?  
Are you the hero that's gonna  
fight these injustices I face?

I dry my tears  
I wash my face;  
blood begins to flow  
as my heart looses pace  
A preacher says some kind words  
as he stands over my grave  
And just to think, all I needed to find  
was a hero to be saved…

"She sings that song constantly." Nathan jumped, turning to see Nick standing there, also watching his sister. "She wrote it after TJ beat her for the first time. She was always sure that one day, he'd beat her to death."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Uh-huh, sure. Yeah, until TJ comes looking. And believe me, he _will_ come looking. Haley's like this prize to him, his prize for his shitty life. And he doesn't like losing prizes," Nick commented, eyes still on his sister. 

"Well, you two won't be the only ones waiting here," Nathan answered, turning back to watch Haley.

_Are you a hero?  
Are you the light  
on the darkest night?  
Will you lead me home,  
to a safe place?  
Are you the hero that's gonna  
fight these injustices I face?_

Haley lifted her fingers from the piano, trying to calm her emotions. She always used singing as a vessel to get out her emotions, whether it was pain, or happiness, or sadness, or humiliation; the piano never fought back or spit out protests to being played for hours upon end, practicing the same song, the same piece of Beethoven or Bach or Mozart endlessly. The piano never let her down, while all around her, her relationships went up in the fire of betrayal.

"I remember the ninth grade talent show when you sang that song 'Fever'," Nathan whispered, coming closer to her.

"You scared the hell out of me!" Haley screamed. "You weren't supposed to hear that. I just-I haven't had a piano in awhile-we had to sell mine in order to pay off some of our bills."

"Go ahead and play it all you want. I don't use it, and Tess might want to learn. Nick said…Nick said you wrote that-"

"The first time TJ beat me. And I did. I was scared-and young, and I had just survived this horrid crash-and TJ hit me," Haley explained, biting her bottom lip. 

"Well, you know I'm not going to do that to you, Hales. Not now, not ever. I'm not like that."

"I know, Nathan. I know that. It doesn't mean I'm not still scared. TJ will come, and he will be an asshole and I don't know what I'm gonna do when that happens, but it's okay. I guess I'll figure it out when that time comes," Haley replied, standing up from the bench. "I wonder if I can get a gun-"

"Haley, do you know how to use a gun? 'Cause I really don't want you firing one here if you don't know-"

"I think it's pretty easy-pointing and shooting," she replied, laughing a little as she watched his face turn serious.

"Just remember, when that time comes, you have me in your corner." She just smiled, but inside she was thanking God. She seriously needed someone in her corner right now.

**So, my awesomely fantabulous readers, please review; it means so much to me! Oh, do not steal the song...I made up Hero, and I want to keep it mine.**


	3. Chapter 3

-1**DISCLAIMER: Me no own OTH. me wish me owned OTH, but, alas, me know own it.**

**Guys, you are all so FREAKING awesome! Thank you for all the reviews! Oh, and I promise there _will_ be Naleyness in the next chapter...it's already pretty much written in my head. THis chapter is ratedT for major profanity. If thou art weak at heart and sensitive in the ears, this might not be your chapter. Also, please _review_. I enjoy reading them and they give me great feedback on how well you like what I've written.**

Oh, I've also amended something: their ages. I know I said haley was twenty-one earlier, but now she is twenty-three. Nathan is twenty-four. Tess is still four, which means they were twenty when Nathan and mysterious girl had their baby. Nick is still sixteen, and I'm imagining TJ somewhere close to thirty, maybe twenty eight or so. Lucas is twenty-nine, Peyton is twenty-eight (because, realistically, a doctor is still in their college years at twenty-three), Brooke is twenty-three, Jake is twenty-eight...

I think that's all, for now, at least, so, without further ado... 

**Chapter Three: Break Down**

Nathan watched Haley as she swept the kitchen, singing softly to the music on the radio. Tess was sitting at the table, drawing. He knocked on the door, giving Haley smile as she looked up. "I'm off to practice; I'll be back in a couple hours with some groceries. Anything particular you want?" Nathan asked, giving his daughter a hug.

"Not really, but if you want to get in Nick's good graces, Cheese-Its are assets," she replied, looking out the window of the kitchen, where her brother was playing basketball on the court. "Do you know Coach Whitey Durham?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I registered Nick for school today and I ran into him. He said he coaches the basketball team. I was just wondering if he was a pretty good guy or not," she replied, shivering slightly when he pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear. "Nick needs a pretty good guy in his life right now."

"Whitey's one of the greatest. And Nick's good enough to get on his team," Nathan replied honestly, shrugging. "Hey, if you want me to, I can do something with him-try to make him feel more at home."

"I'd be grateful. Oh, um, there was a call from your father…I didn't answer it because I didn't know if you were telling people I was hear or what-"

"My dad knows. If anything he can help-he does a lot with security and stuff. I'll call him on my way to the gym. Have a good day, Tess, I love you!"

"Wuv you, doo, Daddy," Tess replied, running over to hug her father and kiss his cheek.

"Love you too, baby girl. Bye, Hales."

"Bye, Nathan," she called as he left, opening the door to the outside. "Nick, you want some breakfast?" The teenager nodded, setting the ball down on the court, careful to put it back where he found it. He didn't what find out what Nathan was like when his stuff was messed with. His father used to beat him with a wrench, and TJ enjoyed the beer bottle beating.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted Tess, ruffling her curls. The girl was so endearing to him. She was so innocent, and it seemed to be that all he wanted to do was protect her. He turned back to his sister, who had set out a plate of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and a large glass of orange juice on the table, setting out a similar plate in smaller portions in front of Tess. 

"How does your arm feel?" Haley asked, giving him a faint smile, laying out the four pills Peyton had prescribed him. "You know she told you not to play basketball while you're wearing that brace."

"When have you known me to do what I'm told?" Nick snapped, glaring at his sister, instantly regretting it as he saw her face fall. "I'm sorry. I'm just grumpy-I didn't sleep well and my arm hurts really badly."

"I know. I want you to take it easy today, okay? Maybe you can look after Tess for a little bit?"

"Sure. No problem."

"Okay-I just have to square away some last minute things with my bank account and everything," Haley told him. "Those bruises look better."

"They are. They don't hurt so much; whatever that doctor gave me was good. Where's Nathan?" Nick asked, looking around slightly.

"He had to go to practice. He's gonna be back in a couple hours, and he's going to bring home some groceries. I told him you wanted some Cheese-Its."

Nick smiled gratefully, finishing off his food, looking at Tess. "So what do you say, Little Bit? You wanna play some video games with me?"

"No! Draw!"

"Okay, we can do that, too. Here, finish your food…good girl-"

Haley smiled as she left the table, going into her room, feeling like she left her charge in good hands.

**----PUSH----**

Nathan pulled his Hybrid into the garage, parking it beside his Ferrari and his 1965 Corvette. Practice was good; for once, he wasn't worried about his daughter, making sure he left her in the right hands.

He entered into the hallway, hearing his daughter laughing from the living room. He sat the two bags of groceries, as well as his gym bag. He stopped, looking at the drawing on the table. It was a picture of his daughter, her bright and sunny disposition captured in the image. He faintly saw the signature in the corner of the image: Nicholas James. Apparently, Nick had some wickedly awesome hidden talents.

Again, he was distracted by his daughter's giggles, and he made his way into the living room, finally seeing what had humored his daughter: Nick, watching a movie with her, was rewording the lines into various jokes. "Hey, guys-" Nathan watched Nick nearly jump off the couch, his muscles tensing and his breath nearly stopping. "Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"I'm-I'm okay," Nick managed to get out, still looking straight ahead. " We were just-"

"Thank you for keeping Tess company," Nathan cut in, giving the boy a smile. "You can calm down now."

"No way in hell will a couple of minutes calm me down," Nick replied, looking at Tess, who was watching him. "Tess, you want to go see if I got my Cheese-Its?" The little girl nodded, getting up off the couch. "I-I shouldn't be making comments about the movie-I'm-I'm sorr-"

"Okay, we need to have a serious talk," Nathan interrupted, not failing to notice Nick glancing up at him worriedly as he sat at the other end of the couch. "You don't have to apologize, especially for not doing anything. Despite what you think about me, I will _never_ hit you. I'm not your father, and I'm not Haley's ex-boyfriend. Yes, I might get angry, yes I might yell, I won't hit you, with my fist, with objects around me, with anything. I would never do it to my own child, either; the fact that your father got away with it makes me want to murder him."

"You don't understand. You say the same thing TJ said when I first went there," Nick whispered, looking away from Nathan. "He lied, and you will, too."

"Hey, Hey, Nick, look at me-" the teen forced himself to look at Nathan, biting his bottom lip. "TJ is an asshole, okay? And when I made promises, I keep them." Nick nodded, wanting to be out of this conversation. "Okay then, I guess you can go. Oh, I didn't know you drew?"

"Most people don't."

"So, can I keep the drawing of Tess?"

"Uh, sure. And my sister had to go to the bank to finalize something wither her account-"

"Okay. Do you mind if I steal my daughter from you?" Nick quickly shook his head, quickly retreating back to his room. Nathan sighed, wondering if any of his words got through to him.

**----PUSH----**

**_Smack._**_ The sound reverberated around the small house, the force sending Haley back into the kitchen counter. "You stupid bch! All I asked for is a hot meal when I got home, and you can't even cook that!" TJ yelled, slapping her again._

"I-I-" Haley protested, eyes widening when she saw Nick walk into the room.

"Hey! Stay off of her!" he yelled, charging TJ, who easily sent his fist into Nick's stomach, sending him back to the floor.

"You, stay there, you bastard!" TJ yelled, threatening Nick with a worse beating than he'd already get.

"You asshole," Nick snapped, whimpering when TJ kicked him in the stomach.

"TJ, stop! Just-go sit down, and I'll go get you a drink and dinner will be done in fifteen minutes," Haley pleaded, wiping tears off her cheeks.

Haley's eyes slammed open, and she looked around. She felt her heart stop racing as she realized that she was in Nathan's house, in one of his big guest bedroom. Nightmares. Great-that's just what she needed.

She left her room, walking silently down the hall to open Nick's door. Her younger brother was immersed in the covers, facing the wall the bed was up beside. He was curled around a pillow, his hurt arm laying on it. He looked so young, laying in bed; he looked like he hadn't suffered or been thrown into the cruel world. She wished she could keep him like that, innocent and not affected by the real world.

She turned back, going to her room, at least somewhat confident that her brother was safe, that TJ couldn't hurt him anymore.  
**----PUSH----**

"Did you finish up at the bank?" Nathan asked Haley as she set a plate of breakfast food down in front of him, going back to grab her own. Tess and Nick were still asleep, and seeing as how it was only eight on a Saturday morning, both Nathan and Haley were inclined to let them stay in bed.

"Yeah. What little money I had is now all in my name. Maybe I can finally start that college fund for Nicky," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I was thinking I might go into town and see about getting a job."

"What? I thought-I'll pay you, if you want," Nathan said, looking at her in disbelief.

"No, of course not-Nathan, you letting us stay here is more than enough. However, I do need to bring in some money, somehow, and with Nick here-he's good with Tess, Nathan. He could watch her and I could work for a couple hours."

"I don't doubt Nick's abilities with my daughter, Hales; he was really good with her yesterday. However, I don't want you out alone. So, I have somewhere for you to work: Lucas' mom runs a café in town and is looking for a waitress a couple days a week for a couple hours? How about that?"

"That…that would be perfect."

**----PUSH----**

"So, you have the number, right?" Haley asked her brother as she finished pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "Nathan should be home by 9, at the latest, and I'll be back by 11. Please, please, please keep out of trouble. And don't be rude."

"Why are you working, Haley? I thought Nathan was letting us stay here for free," Nick asked, looking at the brace on his arm.

"He is. I need some money, Nick, to pay for stuff like your clothes and my clothes and insurance and-stuff. It's not so bad-Karen sounds really sweet. And it's only a couple hours a day. You'll be fine-I have faith in you."

"Me is not what I'm worried about, Hales. What if he comes to that café? What's gonna stop him from hitting you then and there?" Nick asked, immediately biting his lip as Nathan came downstairs with Tess. "Nevermind. It was stupid."

"I'll be safe, Nicky. Promise. You just take care of Tess for me, okay?" Haley replied, giving Nathan a smile. "And where exactly are you going tonight?"

"I have dinner with some reporter. I don't know…it's an interview," he replied, setting Tess at the table. "You've got the code to the gate, right?" Haley nodded. "Nick, you know where the alarm is, right?"

"I'm not exactly stupid," Nick snapped, high-fiving Tess before ruffling her hair. "Plus, I'm pretty sure I can handle pressing a button if need be."

"Okay, then. Her bedtime is eight-don't let her cajole you into thinking it's ten or something." Nick nodded; he knew all this already. He'd been in this house for a week and a half and he pretty much knew the routine. "Okay. See you later, Haley, Nick; Tessy, I love you."

"Wuv you doo, daddy. When home?"

"In a little while. Have fun with Nick." He gave Haley a smile before leaving the kitchen; Haley followed soon after, leaving Nick and Tess together, once again.

Eight o'clock came quickly, and once he had Tess settled into bed, he went back downstairs, flipping through the many channels of the big, flat screen TV before settling on ESPN. He smiled when he saw the stack of books on the end table, with a note from Haley telling him that these were his summer reading books. He looked at the three, deciding on the one that looked most interesting.

At eight-thirty, he heard a knock on the door. He glanced up the stairs, making sure Tess wouldn't come downstairs, before climbing off the couch. He unlocked the door, thinking it was Nathan or Haley. The fist that came straight at his eye made him decide otherwise.

"Looks like I found you." TJ's voice was hard, full of the hate he was ready to share with Nick. "Look at this cushy house. Who's Haley sleeping with?"

"Like I'd tell you," Nick groaned, shaking his head to gain some sense back. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

"I came to get what's mine," TJ snapped, picking up the helpless teen, throwing him into the couch. "And it's not you."

"No shit, Sherlock," Nick murmured, looking around for the alarm button. He gasped in pain when TJ hit him again, but he gained enough momentum to knock TJ back. He jumped over the prone body, running for the alarms, in the kitchen. He felt TJ grab him, twisting his ankle. He felt his arm slam into the wooden floor, hearing his bone crack. Great. Just what he needed. He turned quickly, smashing his foot into TJ's face. Despite the fact that he regularly had his $$ kicked in the past, he had picked up some self-defense moves.

"You little-" TJ threatened, backing off when he heard the door in the hall open-obviously Nathan was home. "You tell your sister I want her back. I want her back now or someone, namely you, is going to get hurt."

Nick glared at him, pushing himself away from the man as he left out the door he'd come in. Nick pulled himself up, hand shaking and trembling in the brace. He wiped at the blood running down the side of his face, courtesy of the cut below his eye. He turned when he heard Nathan call his name.

"What the hell-"

"I told you. I told you he'd come. How hard do you think it was to find us? My sister's been using the credit card and we still have our cell phones-" Nick mumbled, moving past Nathan to the kitchen, feeling the older man trailing behind him. "Don't worry about it…I'll clean myself up."

"TJ was here? Tess-"

"She still sleeping. I thought it was Haley. God, how stupid am I?" Nick   
asked, undoing the brace on his arm, wincing slightly when he saw the swelling on his arm. "I don't know how he got here…I honestly thought we were careful…oh God, we're gonna have to leave…"

"Here, just sit down. Let me go call your sister, and the police-"

"No. You can't involve them, Nathan-any of them. My sister-she'll bolt again, and despite what I say, I like it here-I like not having to worry about what I'm eating tomorrow or if I'm going to have to make a trip to the emergency room," Nick said, eyes begging. "Please-I'll tell her by myself; just don't call her."

"Okay. But you will tell her as soon as she gets home-and then we will take you to Peyton's tomorrow to get your arm fixed."

Nick nodded, staring at the front door. "You might want to change your locks…and consider getting guard dogs or something. Because, Lord knows, he will be back again."

**----PUSH----**

"TJ was here?" Haley nearly exclaimed, looking at her brother's face. "How? I didn't use that credit card and I threw away my cell phone."

"Haley, he was here. I should know-see my face? He did this and I don't know how he found us or how to stop him," Nick said, wincing as Nathan rubbed the alcohol across the cut under his eye. "I don't want to leave, Haley."

"We won't. Nathan, can you call the police? Please-I know it's a lot to ask, and I know there's going to be a media frenzy-"

"Not really. I can ask them to be discrete. I'm going to talk to my father about some more security options, too. In the meantime, Nick go get some sleep-we'll get you to Peyton's office in the morning. Haley, you should try to rest, too…"

'I need to talk to the police, Nathan. I need to get this sorted out…it's my responsibility."

"_We'll_ get it sorted out. Nick, go upstairs-"

"You aren't my father, Nathan. Please don't tell me what to do," Nick replied, looking at his sister, who was glaring at him.

"Nicholas, go upstairs," Haley ordered, shaking her head. "Go get some sleep. The cops will probably want to talk to you, and you want to be rested up."

It was a long night. Haley spent four or five hours talking to the cops, having to wake her brother up so that he could answer some questions. Nick looked horrible, face bruised, arm swollen pretty badly. The cops had scared him, both of them being male, and he had stuttered and stammered over his answers.

Now he sat on the couch, trying to calm down. "Here, buddy," Nathan said, handing Nick a cup of coffee.

"So, are they going to arrest him?" Nick asked Haley, who shrugged. "Are they at least gonna help us? I mean, I think my face is living proof that he likes to hit people."

"I know. They saw-they took pictures. I think, for right now, we've done the best we can. You need to go back to sleep, Nicky. You're worn out." He nodded, trudging his way upstairs. Haley turned to Nathan, embracing him as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I can't do this anymore, Nathan. Help me," she whispered, finally breaking down.

**----PUSH----**

Haley blinked a couple of times, her brown eyes wondering around the room that was clearly not her own. She groaned, turning as she felt an arm around her waist.

"Nathan?" she whispered, hearing him shuffle around behind her. "Nathan?"

**Dun dun dun...did he sleep with her? Review and find out! OOooh, repetition of some phrases between Haley and Nick-shows they think alot...just so someone who would say that I can think of other things to say knows.**


	4. Chapter 4

-1**Guys, new chapter, with new naleyness-and friends finally coming together! HEart you all; thanks for the reviews!**

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OTH!

**rating:** T; anyone who knows my writing knows I like my profanity/b

**Chapter Four: Revelations**

"I'm sorry if I made you think anything happened," Nathan said as he waited with Haley outside Nick's hospital room. "It didn't-you fell asleep in my arms, and I just figured-"

"It's fine, Nathan. Really," Haley assured the man, patting his arm. She stopped, looking at Peyton as she came out of the room. "Is he?"

"He's fine. I put a nice, white cast on his arm, and I get X-reys of the bones forming his eye socket to make sure none of them were broken. Your ex-boyfriend knows how to hit hard," Peyton said, looking over the file. "He's pretty lucky, to say the least."

"Lucky would have been not being in this situation at all," Haley spat out. It had been her old best friend- her best friend!-who had told TJ where to find them. Apparently, Sandra was sleeping with him. And thought it was important that he know where they are so that she could prove they wouldn't be coming back. "But, then again, I've never been lucky."

"Well, maybe that will start to change. I've just got to finish up some tests and then I'll release him. He should be really tired; I had to give him a major sedative to help when we were resetting his bones. I had to call in Jake to help me and Nick freaked out a little," Peyton replied as Jake left the room, giving Haley a smile. "You can see him now, if you want."

"Thank you. For all of this, Peyton, really." Haley ducked into the room, giving her brother a smile. He was sitting on the exam table, looking at the cast. He eye was swollen shut, but at least he was alive. "You look like hell."

"Feel like it too, just to let you know. And I was so looking forward to getting that damn brace off," Nick commented, resting his head on the pillow on the exam table. "I'm tired."

"They gave you a sedative to calm you down. Dr. Jagelski had to come help set your arm, and you kind of freaked. We'll get back to Nathan's house and I'll let you sleep." Nick nodded absentmindedly, pushing his hair out of his face. "Maybe you should cut that stuff, buddy."

"Maybe," Nick replied.

"Nicky, you must really be out of it if your agreeing to cut those pretty brown locks of yours," Haley whispered, kissing his forehead. She looked at Nathan, who was talking on his cell phone outside the room. "Next thing I know, you'll be telling me I should date Nathan."

"Why not? He seems like a nice guy," Nick mumbled, standing up, stumbling when he took a step.

"Ooh, yeah, that sedative is working," Haley called to Nathan, who laughed as he came into the room. "He's even agreed to cut his hair."

"Wow. So, my dad's gonna be coming by tomorrow; he's got some security upgrades, and he's dropping off two new guard dogs-their Great Danes. And I think it's time we told the press. People who know-"

"I don't know if I can do that-especially not to Nick-"

"But we can't hide this anymore, Haley. People are gonna start asking a lot of questions. There are photographers there every day, and if they see a battered kid coming out of my house, what are they gonna think, huh?"

"I understand, Nathan. I can start looking for apartments-"

"No. I don't want you to leave! I like having you and Nick there-especially for Tess. I just want to keep you safe! Both of you!" Nathan exclaimed, closing the door. "I don't want to have to worry about leaving you to go on road games. The next person who sees that bastard can call it in, can get him arrested…"

Haley took a deep breath, looking at her brother before nodding. "Okay. Okay, Nathan. Do it, I don't care…I just want to protect him," she whispered, leaning in to hug him. "Thank you."

"Stop it-stop thanking me. I haven't done enough-"

"You're actually admitting that?" a voice came behind them, making both of them turn with smiles on their faces.

"Lucas!" Haley called, hugging her former best friend tight. "I missed you!"

"I could tell by the total lack of communication."

"I'm sorry. I've been dealing with some..stuff…I wanted to call."

Lucas tightened his grip, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "I know. I was just kidding. How are you, bestest bud?"

"Shitty. You?"

"Came here to see my fiancée."

"Who is-?"

"Peyton Sawyer."

"Really? She's, um, Nick's doctor. She went to go get some test results for him," Haley said, looking at Nathan. "You knew your brother was dating Peyton  
and you didn't tell me?"

"Well, I didn't really realize you and Luke were so close. I forgot you played both sides our freshman year," Nathan explained. In their freshman year, before the truce that had turned their relationship around, Lucas and Nathan were at one another's throats. Haley was friends with both of them, thus having to be pulled apart by both of them.

"Luke? What are you doing here?" Peyton asked as she came into the room, before sprinting over to hug him. "Hi."

"Hey to you, too. Nathan called me."

"I thought you might need another friend," Nathan replied, giving her a sweet smile. She gave him a smile back, moving away from Lucas to hug Nathan. "I'd give anything to see you smile again," he whispered into her ear as he kissed her cheek.

"Well, you did it; I'm smiling," she replied, hugging him tighter. "I don't know if I can ever thank you-"

"I'm never gonna ask you to, Hales," he returned, looking at Peyton. "So what's the news about Nick?"

"Um, he's pretty good. Like I said, no face fractures, his ribs are healing well, the vitamins are working well, his arm will heal…"

"So we can take him home?" Haley asked hopefully, forgetting that her hand was still wrapped in Nathan's.

"Sure. I have yet some more pills-anti-inflammatory pills, pain medication…um, he can't drive while he's on his pain medication; he shouldn't really be left alone," Peyton cautioned, handing them the discharge papers. "He'll need to make an appointment so he can get his stitches taken out-about a week and a half. At that time I'll take another X-rey of his arm, and if it looks like it's not healing, I'll talk to you about surgery. While he's in his cast, he can't get it wet-"

"I know. He's had one before," Haley answered bluntly, signing the papers.

"Okay. Just go see the nurse at the front desk and she'll get you an appointment set up."

"Thanks. Nathan, will you take this stuff and I'll go get druggie back there? Lucas, I'll see you sometime. You should stop by Nathan's house-or your mom's café. I'm working there, part time."

"Okay. It's a date." She smiled half-heartedly before waking her brother, helping him up. He stumbled his way down to the car, falling asleep in the backseat of the car. Oh God, this was going to suck.

**----PUSH----**

"In sports news, authorities were called to the house of Charlotte Bobcat point guard Nathan Scott after a brother of one of Scott's friends was assaulted. The teenager, name withheld by request of Scott, and his sister moved into the house two weeks ago after the sister left an abusive relationship. As of now, there has been a warrant issued for the suspect."

Haley turned off the tv, glancing over to Nathan, who was drawing with Tess. Nick was sleeping on the couch, arm cushioned by a couple of pillows. "You kept my name out of it."

"You asked me to, so I did," he said, turning around to stare at her. She looked brilliant, in a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the only makeup she wore was a light coat of cover-up to cover the cut on her forehead.

"Well, you are a good friend."

"I'd hope so. I don't have a lot of trustworthy friends left."

"No? I would think Nathan Scott, hot scoring his touchdowns, would have a lot of friends," Haley remarked, looking at him questioningly when he laughed.

"Touchdowns? Hales, I play basketball," he replied, shaking his head. "I shoot baskets."

"Whatever. I don't watch sports-I leave that to Nick, and then he fills me in in words I can understand. That's about the extent of my sports."

"Really? We'll have to get you educated." 

She nodded, once again looking back at Nick, who was watching her. "Hey. How you feelin'?"

"Numb," Nick answered, eyes only half-opened.

"Is that good?"

"Mmm-hmm," came the murmured answer, the brown eyes closing once again.

"What wrong wit Wick?" Tess asked her father, going to the sleeping teen, poking his side.

"Tess, don't do that!" Nathan chastised, grabbing his daughter's hand. "He's hurt. He got hurt, and he's just getting better. That's what happen when you sleep."

"Weally?"

"Yes."

"Otay. When we pway again?"

"Soon, honey." He glanced up at Haley, blue meeting brown, before looking back at his daughter. Why did he suddenly feel that he was some awkward sixteen-year-old looking at his first crush? This was Haley-_Haley_-which meant she was off-limits. Friends that turned into something more often ended up spilling their tales to the papers. Right?

Haley turned to stare back at Nick, wondering how she could be so selfish. She couldn't do this to him. He couldn't handle her having another man in her life, especially not two weeks after TJ. Could he?

Did she even care anymore?

**----PUSH----**

Nick pulled himself off of the couch, watching the muscles in his good arm tense as they pulled him into a sitting position. He had a pounding headache, but no one was around to help him figure out where his pain medication was. He managed to make it off the couch, stumbling a little, but catching himself on a table as he made his way toward the kitchen. He knew Haley would keep his stuff there.

He grabbed out at the counter, gasping as pain shot up from his ribs. He let out a curse when he tripped on the first of the two steps going to the kitchen. The palm of his good hand slammed onto the hardwood floor, his cast hitting it, too. He let out a strangled cry leaning against the wall.

"Nick? What are you doing up, buddy?" The teenager turned to see Nathan coming down the stairs.

"What time is it?"

"Three in the morning. Haley wanted to stay with you, but she hasn't gotten a lot of sleep. We were going to take you upstairs, but we didn't want to wake you up," Nathan explained, turning on the lights to the kitchen. "What were you trying to get?"

"I've got a bad headache. I was going to get some pain medication. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't. I've been checking on you since Haley went up," Nathan responded, getting a drink from the fridge, handing it and two pills to Nick. "How does your arm feel?"

"Better. It doesn't hurt so much."

"Good. I think Haley was starting to worry…a lot."

"She would. Now I just got to get back to the couch."

"You know, this is the first time you've actually talked to me without trying to snap my head off?"

"Well, I'm also drugged out, thank God," Nick whispered with a faint smile. "I'll admit it…you're different. I just hope I don't regret saying that in the future."

"You won't. My dad's coming by tomorrow with some new security stuff for us. Why don't we get you back to bed so you can actually be coherent when he comes?" Nick nodded, letting Nathan help him back to the couch. He was asleep within moments of his head hitting the pillow.

Nathan watched him for a second, glancing upstairs when he heard a noise. "Haley…"

"I couldn't sleep. Apparently, neither could you," she replied. "How come you're up?"

"I've been checking on him. He just woke up, took some pain meds and went back to sleep," Nathan whispered, not failing to notice the short pair of shorts and the camisole Haley was wearing.

"You didn't have to check on him, Nathan-"

"I wanted to. Part of that whole putting myself out there thing, showing him what a good guy is…"

"Is that what you are? A good guy?" Her voice was odd, strangely flirty. Wait. Was she flirting? Was she really flirting with Nathan Scott?

In his mind, he was asking himself the same question, as well as wondering if he would take the bait. _To hell with it,_ he thought, a big smile gracing his face. "I don't know. Do I have to be good?"

She shook her head, laughing a tiny bit. "Okay…um…"

"I totally ruined the moment there, didn't I?"

"A little, yeah," she admitted, coming a step closer. She tripped over her own feet, and he reached out, catching her. "And I'm a little clumsy."

"I can tell," he whispered, setting her straight on her feet, before leaning in to capture her lips.

She immediately pushed him away, looking up at him. "Oh, God. We're on that step…"

"I don't know. What steps are there?" he replied nervously, scratching his elbow.

"I'm not sure. I know one of them is kissing-"

"Can we be on that step? I like kissing-"

"Nathan-" she sighed, sitting on the couch beside her brother. "I-I just got out of an abusive relationship of about four and a half years. I know you would never even comprehend doing anything like that, and I know you'd probably be a great boyfriend and I'd probably be showered with gifts and everything, but…Nathan, I've only been here for two weeks. We haven't even…we haven't even sat down to possibly think about dating."

"Can we sit down then and talk about it? Because, Haley, honestly, I think-actually, I know-I want this. I want you."

"You want to sit down at 3 AM and discuss dating?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes."

"Okay. Well, I don't know if I can take you being gone for that long," Haley started bluntly. He leaned in, kissing her again.

"But it's only for a couple of months, and I'll call every night," he comforted her, taking her hand. He sent out a silent prayer when she didn't pull away. "I thought-you were flirting-"

"And I feelings, too. For you. But I need more than just a promise. I've gotten promises before, and look what those promises did to me. I need an effort put in, and I need more than promises now."

"So go to dinner with me ton-" He was surprised when she pressed her lips to his. His eyes closed, his free hand trailing up to rest in her hair. He felt himself pulling away, staring at her, baffled. "Why? You said-"

"I just-I realized I don't care about the rest of the steps. Not when you're here and I'm here and I don't care about the promises and the past and-" He stopped her with a kiss, smiling against her lips. "And with kisses like that, I just can't help it…"

"And Nick?"

"I think he'll be okay with it. Deep down, under all that hurt and pain, he does have a good heart…and he does really like you," she replied. "And…I can't…I can't put him first in everything."

He peeked up back at Nick, turning on the couch. "I think he'll warm up to me. We got along tonight."

"You realize he's on drugs right about now, right? Give him a couple days, then tell me you two got along. It's nothing to doubt you, but my brother hates other guys because of his experience with them."

"Well, I'm gonna change his mind."

"Are you up to that challenge?"

"I think so. Don't you?"

In response, she kissed him, taking his hand. He smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"For what?" she whispered, grinning like mad.

"Giving me a chance."

**Okay, probably not my best wriiting-but I totally just wanted to get to the naleyness...next chapter: the reprecussions of their actions...oh, medical stuffprobably not right**


	5. Chapter 5

-1**Ahhh! You guys are so unbelievably awesome! Thnak you all so much for the replies! They are so inspiring-so much so that I stayed up till two last night finishing chapter five and starting chapter six. This chapter is rate T for profanity and violence; please remember that!!!**

Okay, so this next chapter sets up for the rest of the story-I'm seeing it as being fifteen-twenty chapters. That's all I'm saying...

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of OTH. However, I own Nick, Tess, TJ, and the plotline-please don't steal. Again, this story is rated "T" for a reason.

**Chapter Five: Screams**  
Nathan looked at the beautiful woman sleeping in his bed, smiling as his hand caressed her cheek. This was the second time he had her in his bed, and yet the second time he dared not to do anything with her. She was like…a precious jewel he was afraid of tarnishing.

He ran a towel through his wet hair, shaking his head in disbelief at the fact that it was only six-thirty. He hadn't been able to sleep after Haley had gone to sleep, and after checking on Nick one last time, he had gone to take a shower. All he could think about was what was going to happen when they had to sit down with _both_ of the kids and explain their relationship.

After changing, he sat on the bed, grinning like an adolescent teenager. All those other girls-he had never felt this type of connection. Maybe it was the fact that he was connecting with an old flame. He had forgotten about those four months their sophomore year when they dated-then she left…her parents had moved away.

He didn't know then that her stepfather was beating her; she hid it pretty well and he didn't really care to know. But now-he wanted to know now. He wanted to save her-and Nick-from that pain and torture they suffered.

"What are you doing up so early?" He laughed, turning to look at Haley. "Have you gotten any sleep at all?"

"No. I won't be able to get a lot of sleep til my dad upgrades the security system here," Nathan answered truthfully. "I told you we're getting some guard dogs, didn't I?" she nodded slowly. "Well, I figured they could be kind of like pets for Nick and Tess. I figured if they stay with them, they know who to protect."

"Nick always wanted a dog. Jake beat him senseless at the idea, and he didn't dare mention it from TJ," Haley reminisced, pushing hair out of her face. "This will just be another reason for him to like you. You're giving him something no one else would have."

"I'm trying. I just want him to trust me…"

"He does. You don't notice, but I do. The fact that he let's you help him shows that he trusts you…at least a little bit," she commented, sitting up in his bed. "You know I can't do this every night, right?"

"I know…but it was nice last night."

She smirked, "Don't you just wish you could get some."

"Actually, no, cause then there wouldn't be anything to look forward to."

"Wow. You're actually admitting that?"

He nodded, hearing footsteps downstairs. "I'll go check on him. You stay here…in bed…" He jumped off the bed, trotting downstairs. He stopped just short of the ground floor, watching Nick gingerly make his way to the wall of pictures. It was obvious by his body language that he was in pain, but he stood tall, proud. And then he broke down.

"Nicky?" 

"Oh, God…" Nick looked up, tears evident on his face. "I'm sorry."

Nathan sat beside the teen, who was leaning up against the wall. "Why do you think I'm gonna be mad at you?" he asked, watching the familiar mask of monotonous nothingness come to Nick.

"Cause everyone's always mad at me." His terse response was not what Nathan was looking for. "I don't do anything right-"

"What was your father like?"

"A little blunt, aren't you?"

"I'm just asking, Nick. What was your father like?"

"Very…disappointing. My father was a drunk, and did drugs, a small-town asshole that somehow got a hold of Lydia James and they had me. He hated me…he thought I was a hinder, and so he dealt with me as roughly as he possibly could," Nick answered truthfully, looking away from Nathan, tears starting again. "I tried so hard to please him…and I couldn't."

"I want you to know that I'm not gonna shatter your self-confidence like that. It's rotten, and dirty…and it's shitty, I know. And I just wouldn't do it." Nick nodded.

"I just wish for once I had a real family…besides Haley."

"Kid, you will have a family," Nathan promised, giving Nick a smile as he stood up. "Let's get you back to the couch. You can sleep for a few more hours."

"I don't want anymore of those pills…they make me tired…"

"You need to take those pills."

"But they make me tired-"

"Rest is good," Nathan chided. "Go-Haley we'll probably wake you up at eight or so…my dad should be here about nine or nine-thirty, and I'm sure he'll love to meet you."

**----PUSH----**

"Hey, Dad," Nathan greeted Dan Scott as he opened the door to his house, looking at the two six-month old Great Danes. Dan gave his soon a man-hug, smiling graciously as he introduced Haley.

"Hello, Mr. Scott."

"It's nice to see you again, Ms. James. You look beautiful," Dan replied, truly surprising Haley. The last time she had seen him, he was an $$. Dan stepped inside, noticing the teen on the couch. "Is that your brother?"

"Yeah, that's Nick. He's not feeling really well-"

"Nathan told me. This is Argos and Zeus," Dan whistled, and the dogs came running in. "Morning, Nick."

The teen flinched, looking back at Dan drowsily. "Morning, sir," he whispered, hand moving closer to his body. He let out a small smile when then dogs came up to him, sniffing him. "What are their names?"

"The beige one is Zeus, and the black and white one is Argos. I think one of them is yours," Dan replied, smiling as Nick reached a hand out to pet the black and white one, who immediately took to Nick. "He likes you, kid."

Haley sat beside her brother, petting the dog as Nathan and Dan sat across from them. "So, I'm gonna have my company change out the locks, and it's gonna be both a keypad entry where you have to enter a password and a thumb print. Um, the dogs will be a nice touch of safety; they're trained to attack anyone who harms their owner. There's also this." He handed both Haley and Nick cases, which contained nice watches.

"I can take this…" Nick whispered, trying to hand it back to Nathan, who shook his head.

"It's got a built-in GPS. If something happens, they can find you with it. It also has an alarm that'll alert the police," Dan explained, watching Nick run his good hand over it. "Do you need help getting it on?" Nick eyed Dan with fear, nearly jumping when his sister touched his shoulder.

"I'll do it, Mr. Scott," she said, helping lock the silver links together. She ruffled Nick's hair, giving him a smile before looking back at Nathan, who was smiling at her.

"Well, right now that's it, Nate. I'll try to get you more later this week."

Nathan nodded, helping his father up. "Thanks for coming, Dad."

"No problem. Right now those dogs are getting four cups of puppy food apiece. They're six months. Nice to meet you Haley, Nick." Both James' nodded, watching Nathan and Dan walk to the door. Nick turned his attention to Argos and Zeus, smiling at both as he dared get off the couch. Argos nuzzled his side, following him into the kitchen.

"Nick? Nicky, where'd you go?" Haley called, looking around the empty living room. She heard the dogs barking, trying to follow them to the kitchen, until she felt a hand around her waist, pulling her to the landing of the steps. Nathan kissed his girlfriend, smiling against her lips. "Nathan-I need to go check on Nick," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Go. I've got to go get ready for practice anyway. You look beautiful," he replied, giving her one last kiss before pulling away, slowly walking up the stairs. She shook her head, watching him go before turning back to the kitchen. 

"Nick, what are you doing?" Haley asked in amusement, looking at her brother attempting to grab a bowl from the top shelf in one of the cabinets. She got the bowl for him, setting it on the counter. "How's your arm feel?"

"Okay. The pain's dulled, which is good, and it's not so heavy. Where's Nathan?"

"He has practice today. Why don't you, me and Tess go into town and have lunch at Karen's Café?" Nick nodded, thanking her as she set out the cereal and milk. "Dan left some food for the dogs in the garage. Will you go get it and feed them when you're done? They have bowls there-they can eat together. Just feed them in the kitchen-then make sure they go outside." 

"Sure. Why is Nathan doing all this?"

"No matter what you think, he just wants to protect you-"

"Why?"

"Nick, Nathan and I kissed this morning."

"You did what?" he whispered, not turning to look at her.

"Nicky-" she replied, putting a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off. "I know you think it's too soon…"

"I think it's too soon? Haley, there's a guy chasing us around because he's your psycho ex! We've only been here two weeks!" Nick couldn't help but raising his voice.

"No, Nick. For once, let me do this-this is right-"

"No, it isn't! You don't know anything about him!"

"Nicholas! Please quiet down. Tess isn't up yet. And as for knowing him-I know he gives more than a damn about you, which is more than any other guy in my life. Look around you-he's willing to spend thousands of dollars to keep us safe," Haley tried to reason with her brother, who shook his head. His bad hand struggled to take off the watch, throwing it at the wall, soon followed by the bowl of cereal.

"I don't want anything to do with you," he whispered, tears streaming down his face as he left the room. She followed, but he was gone out the door before she was in the living room.

**----PUSH----**

"Haley?" 

The room was dark, Tess asleep on the couch, Haley sitting in the chair, head in her hands. Nathan sat his bag down, turning on the lights to the room. Tears stained Haley's cheeks. "Hales, what's wrong?"

"He's gone," she whispered, staring up at him. "I told him, and he's gone. He…he left."

"Oh my God. Haley, did you call the police?"

"What for? He didn't want to be here, Nathan. He didn't want to stay here with me and you like we are."

"Haley, he didn't mean it," Nathan whispered, sitting beside her, hugging her tight. "We need to call the police, babe. We need to get him back, explain. You know Nick-he'll warm up to the idea."

"Maybe…maybe he just needs to be alone for right now," she replied, shaking her head. "…"

"Haley, he didn't mean it, and you don't mean that. You can't just leave him out there. He's got pills he needs to take, he has a broken arm! He looks like a battering ram! We can't leave him out there," Nathan voiced, trying to be reasonable. "And you would never do that to your brother."

"He…he thinks that's best for him."

"But you know it's not, Haley. I know you know it's not. He could get himself killed."

"He wants this. Let him live with it for a little while. You have to wait 72 hours to report a runaway-I called about two hours ago," she whispered, tears running down her face as she curled into Nathan. "I wanted to be truthful."

"I think he'll appreciate it when his mind clears up. How long has he been gone?"

"Eight hours. He left right after you did…and I searched, but I couldn't find him. I was gonna drag him back here kicking and screaming, but I couldn't…I couldn't find him."

"Okay. I'm gonna go get a shower…and then I'll look for him some more. You stay by that phone in case he calls."

"Thank you-"

"No…none of that. You know not to thank me. Not now, anyway. Not until we find Nick."

**----PUSH----**

It was dark-wherever the hell he was, it was dark.

Nick's eyes-well, _eye_ looked around, and then he realized he was in a barn-or something. He reached his good hand around to touch the back of his head, feeling the blood matted in his hair. Damn-now he was going to have to cut it.

Haley had to be worried. He never meant to stay out this long-however long it had been. He was over the fact that Haley was…dating…Nathan; he knew it'd probably happen, and he had to admit that Nathan was a pretty good guy.

But someone had hit him in the park, stuffing him in the trunk of an old, rusty car that smelled of cigarettes and beer. He'd woken up in this dreadful prison, his good arm cuffed to a metal thing in one of the beams, over his head, so he could reach his head, but not much else.

"Damn TJ," he whispered, looking around quickly to make sure the SOB wasn't in here. It'd be hilarious to see the damage to his body if TJ heard the comment…well, not hilarious to him…but he hoped his brain got what he was thinking. He let out a deep breath, stuffing his casted hand into his pocket, wincing as the pain shot up his arm.

He felt his fingers catch his cell phone, but it slipped out of his reach and he had to remove his hand, letting the pain spasm out before starting on his hunt for the cell phone. On the second try, he managed to get the phone in his hand, out of the pocket before it slipped from his hand, onto the floor. 

He let out another curse, taking another deep breath, pulling as much as he could on the cuff, reaching out his other hand to get the cell phone. He smiled when he grabbed it, flipping it open. "Okay, Nick, find that number…" he encouraged himself, flipping through all his calls. He had to have the number to Nathan's house somewhere. He knew he had to have it somewhere…right?

Haley was going to be pissed. She would probably ground him forever, not give him a chance to explain-and then chew him out about his reaction about her and Nathan. But could anyone really blame him? His father was less than adequate. Nick was his father's personal punching bag, and when he wasn't there, the next time he saw Jake, Nick got it ten times worse.

And then there was TJ. Nice, lovely TJ…yeah the hell right. The first smack he'd given Nick broke his jaw. The second, six ribs. That was the psycho ex that had control over Nick now.

Nick shook himself out of those thoughts, looking back at the phone. So, he didn't have the house number-but he did have Haley's, didn't he? He flipped through the numbers, smiling to himself when he found it. He quickly pushed the send button, wanting to hear her voice.

"Nick?"

"Haley-help."

A foot crushed the phone, and Nick looked up. TJ was back, and he looked livid.

"Shit."

"You right about that, boy."

"Why couldn't you just stay in Texas and drink yourself to death?" Nick snapped, cringing at the back hand, feeling his bottom lip starting to split. He heard something buzz and all he could hear was his thoughts pounding in his head, saying this was going to be a long night.

**----PUSH----**

"Nick? Nick!" Haley yelled, looking at the officer in the house. Nick had been missing for three days. "Oh God…oh God…"

Nathan hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead. "What happened?"

"He said 'Haley-help'. Nathan-"

"Ma'am, is there anyone who would try to hurt your brother?"

"My ex-boyfriend, TJ…we came here to get away from him, but he tracked up down. He really, really doesn't like Nick," Haley explained, sitting in between Argos and Zeus. Argos' ears popped up when hearing Nick's name.

The phone rang again, and she instantly recognized it as TJ's number. She flipped open her phone, putting it to her ear. "Where is he, you son-of-a-bch?" she snapped, eyes hardening.

"Haley, so good to hear from you. Tell me? You ever heard the sound of someone's bone breaking?"

"You hurt him and I will kill you!"

"You forgot, _Hales_, that I already have. So, the sound of breaking bone…pure pleasure. Let me tell you, that crackle and pop-so sweet. You wanna hear?"

She didn't hear the bone snap, or the sound of TJ's laugh; instead, all she heard was the screams of her little brother.

**Dun-dun-dun...Review, please**


	6. Chapter 6

**I love you all! I am SOOOOO EXCITED everytime I see replies! I know it's been awhile, but I've had 100 pages to edit in yearbook and not a lot of time. I admit that this is definitely not my best writing-the ideas are scattered, and again, I apologize. **

However, this endeths the reign of TJ as a dominant character; next, I'm introducing Deb (oh how much fun!) and Lydia and Jake James...the next couple of chapter will be interesting!

Heart you all, and please reply!

DISCLAIMER:I do not own oth...or the banner...jess made the lovely banner...lovers you, jess

**Chapter Six: Blame**

_Breathing_. It was supposed to be easy. That's what everyone said-it was involuntary or something.

Yeah the hell right.

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to flinch.

Or wince.

Or grimace.

Or cry out as pain flooded all his nerves, causing his muscles to tense up, thus causing more pain.

He had been left for dead-that he was pretty sure of. TJ had had his fun tormenting him, and now was on his way to bigger and better things-hopefully a bullet thorugh the head for trying to hurt his sister or an injection in his arm. The bullet was quick-the injection would make him the prison whore for awhile.

TJ deserved it.

His phone was laying near his prone body, dead. He reached his swollen shaking and spasm-ing hand out to it, glancing at it from a half-closed eye. He tightened his grip on the metal, letting out a painful curse as he forced his broken bones to work. With his good hand, he peeled off the top cover. The inside seemed to be fine, only minor damages.

It was almost as if he could hear the air mixing with blood in his chest cavity. That probably wasn't good-he didn't think either should be openly floating around in his chest and abdomen. He knew he needed help, and he needed it fast.

The numbers were starting to meld together, but he could vaguely remember which ones to press for Haley's number. But his fingers wouldn't move-in fact, they looked like they weren't in the right spot. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on some good memory.

Except that he didn't have any.

He couldn't think of any good memories. His past was painful, but he didn't think it was that painful.

But, he had a funny feeling that maybe it wouldn't be so bad any more. He thought that with Nathan, they might stand a chance of finding happiness.

And with that thought, he drifted into unconsciousness.

**----PUSH----**

Todd Maxton heard his lab barking from down the lines of his property, near the old barn. He started toward the barn, making sure his gun was loaded. Kids from around town tended to try and party at the old barn, and while he didn't really care if it was after a big win at a basketball game or football game, he did care when it was a month and a half before school.

"Wrinkle!" He called, hearing the dog near the barn. He smiled when he saw his girl nudging the door to the barn, which was partially opened. "How the he-" He stopped, pushing the door open the whole way. His gun dropped to his side and he went to the prone body's side. "Wrinkle, cell phone." The dog barked again, heading back to the house. It'd either retrieve the cell phone or Todd's wife.

He gently turned the body, gasping when he saw the boy's face. His hand was against his chest, fingers twisted at odd, painfully awkward angles, and his whole lower arm was swollen purple. "Kid? Kid, you awake?" Todd called, lightly pushing on the boy's shoulder, hoping to see him open his eyes.

No such luck.

"Todd? What's-"

"Anne, call 9-1-1! There's some kid in here-hurt really bad!" Todd yelled, looking at his wife. "Kid, please wake up." He looked around the barn, shaking his head when he saw the blood smearing the sledge hammer laying to the side of the body.

Twenty minutes later, sirens surrounded the barn, police taping it off as paramedics worked over the kid, trying to restore a heartbeat. Todd watched from the corner of the barn, talking with some small time cop taking his statement. The kid had lost his heartbeat twice. His arm was in many cardboard splints-each of his fingers in one, then contained in a bigger one.

"Do you know who that is?" Todd asked, looking back at the detective.

"His name's Nick James. He and sister live with that basketball star-she fled here from an abusive relationship," the cop answered.

"And the kid has to suffer," Todd commented, letting out a breath as the boy's heartbeat returned, once again. The paramedics carefully put a neck brace on the boy, one of them pressing the bag connected to the oxygen tube in the kid's mouth. "He's gonna be okay, right?"

"I don't know."

**----PUSH----**

Haley sat in the waiting room, tears brimming in her eyes as she waited-waited for any news on her brother. They had taken him up an hour and a half ago, for surgery on his arm, but before that, they wouldn't tell her anything.

"You look like hell." She smiled gratefully to Nathan, accepting the coffee he handed to her. "But still beautiful."

"You're a liar," she replied, giving him a kiss. "Where's Tess?"

"Karen is watching her for me. I ran into Peyton, she's coming to look over his treatment. She told me to tell you not to worry, that he's in great hands-the chief-of-surgery's hands."

"I hope she knows that I can't help but worry. That's my brother-my responsibility, and I let him down," she whimpered. "I let him down, Nathan. I'm responsible for him being here-"

"No you aren't, Haley. This-all of this-is TJ's fault. This is not your fault-this isn't his fault. Blame me, blame TJ, but sure as hell don't blame yourself," Nathan said, taking her hand in his. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling some sort of peace overwhelm her as he kissed her forehead.

Upstairs, Dr. John Amherst pulled off his surgical mask, looking at the kid he had just finished up. He had put metal pins in each of Nick's fingers, having to rotate the bones back in place. In addition, he had to put four pins and plates in Nick's wrist, and then had to concentrate on fixing the spiral break at Nick's wrist, as well as the two compound breaks-one on his ulna, one on the kid's radius. This was one of the worst beatings he had ever seen, and the kid still had a couple more surgeries to go. However, nothing would be done until his body could heal a little.

"Doctor Amherst?" a nurse asked, looking at the teen. "Do you want me to let his sister up here? She's his guardian, I'm assuming."

"I want to talk to her before she sees him. Start an IV of nutrients, saline, keep him on 100 percent oxygen, keep him on antibiotics, monitor his heart carefully, keep a close watch for any infection. I need to take him back into surgery as soon as his body has recovered a little," Amherst replied, signing off on the boy's papers. "I want this room under lockdown. No one but the sister, Peyton Sawyer, his doctor, me, and you, Wayne and Bob in that room. If the sister wants to add someone to that list, she can. I don't want to take a chance on him getting hurt again. Not with that bastard still running around. If cops want to see him, tell them to come to me."

"Yes, sir. I'll tell the sister to meet you up here and go get his stuff," the nurse answered, taking the papers from the older man, who looked into the hospital room, at the boy, once again.

"Doctor-Doctor Amherst?" John turned back to look at the young woman, pushing a piece of her auburn hair behind her ear before crossing her arms in front of her body. She still had a faint scratch on her head, but she had an air of dignity about her. "I'm Haley-Nick's my brother."

"Nice to meet you. He's in this room resting; however, because the suspect is still on the loose, I'm keeping a limited number of people on this case, and there are a limited number of people authorized into his room. You, Peyton, me, Anna Braden, who is a day shift nurse, Lyndsay Harp is a night shift nurse, two orderlies, and if you have anyone to add-"

"Nathan Scott, and his daughter, Tess. We're living with them right now."

"Okay. Nick's out of it right now; his arm looks like it's a mess, it is a mess, but it _will_ get better. Four out of his five fingers were broken; I had to put pins in to shift them back in place. I also had to repair blood vessels going into his fingers and the joints where his fingers meet the bones in his hand. His wrist was severely damaged; it has a plate and four pins in it, to hold the two bones in place. He had two compound breaks. His arm is going to take a long time to heal-maybe four months."

She took it all in stride, listening as best she could, analyzing the information in her head. "What about the rest of him?"

"He still needs at least another surgery to repair some internal damage that's been patched up; I can't perform that surgery until his body heals-probably a day or two."

"Why?"

"The chance of an infection in his arm is high because-"

"-he had a compact break, I know."

"I assumed you would, considering-"

"Yeah. I was the idiot that let TJ get to Nick. So, what else?"

"He broke his collar bone, lacerated his face really badly; his chest has multiple bruises on it. He looks like a punching bag."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course. If you need anything, let me know. I'll be back to check on him soon."

"Okay. Can my-Nathan come up here?"

"Sure. I'll get him. You can go ahead and go in there. The nurse will be in in a few minutes with a couple of IV bags, and his oxygen line. He might wake up while you're in there, but he'll probably be very disoriented."

Haley nodded, opening the door to the room, feeling her body shake when she saw her brother. He looked so small and fragile in the bed, his arm in a weird contraption, which she thought was probably to keep it in place while the bones were setting. She patted his good hand, standing beside his bed. "I'm sorry," she whispered, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "I am so sorry."

**----PUSH----**

His eyelids felt like fifty-ton weights as he tried to push them open, but he knew he had to try. He needed to tell Haley he was sorry.

He struggle, finally able to lift his lids half-way. The room was dark, but he felt a dull sensation in his right arm, and he could make out his arm being suspended. He pushed his eyes open again, finally able to keep them open without their deadweight falling. "Haley?" His voice was scratchy, and he wasn't even sure if he formed the word.

He felt the pressure on his left hand tighten slightly, something pressing lightly on his forehead. "Welcome back, Nicky," he heard Haley whisper, pushing his hair off his forehead. "God, it's good to see those eyes."

"Ha..ley?"

"Yeah. I'm right here, and I'm not gonna go anywhere. Go back to sleep."

"Arm…"

"It's pretty messed up, Nicky, but it's gonna get better."

"Sorry."

"No, Nick; you have nothing to be sorry for, buddy. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I ran away."

"You needed to think. I know you; you would have warmed up to it…you just needed to wrap your brain around it. All you needed was to know that Nathan wasn't going to hurt you-and more importantly, hurt me. And I don't think he will."

"I…I know." The voice was quiet, almost not there, but she smiled, the words still reverberating through her mind.

"That's good to know, Nick. Now why don't you go back to sleep, baby? You're tired and your body needs to rest. They have to do another surgery soon-" He glanced over at her, letting her see the fear in his eyes. "They've patched up the internal damage, but they need to fix it, so they're going to do that…and that should be it. You should be fine, buddy."

His eyes closed, his breathing slowing a little. Haley turned back, seeing Nathan's eyes on her. "He looks good," he whispered, going to her, wrapping a hand around her waist.

"Yeah, he does," she replied, kissing him. "we're gonna be fine, right?"

"Of course. Has Dr. Amherst been in to see him yet?"

"No. Just last night. He said he'd be here sometime between eight and nine. They're going to take him back to surgery either late today or early tomorrow to fix the patch work they did internally-and then it's just the matter of getting him healed up. Don't you have practice sometime?"

"It's August; I can afford to miss a practice; plus, I talked to the coach, and he's fine with me missing this week to help you out. Dad's going by the house, redoing the locks, the security system, feeding the dogs for us…he told me they've camped out in the foyer…"

She laughed; he smiled-it was the first time in a long time he had heard such a sweet sound.

**----PUSH----**

"Haley? Wake up, sweetheart; your brother's back," Anna told the twenty-something, lightly pushing on her shoulder. "Haley, your brother's back…he got through surgery just fine." That jolted the girl up, her eyes opening, arms stretching up. "Nick just got out of surgery. He'll be down here in about twenty or thirty minutes."

"How is he?"

"Good. He did really well, and we don't have to do a second surgery. We'll also be able to go in next week and set his arm. With any luck, he should be out of the hospital by this time next week," she replied, putting down the rails to Nick's bed. "He's on a liquid diet for right now, but if he holds everything down today, we'll start him on semi-solids tomorrow."

"I don't think he's forgiven me."

"Forgiven you? For what?"

"I'm the one that led TJ to him; I'm the one that let TJ at him; I'm the one to blame," Haley whispered, looking at the empty bed. "I never meant to get him hurt. He came from a house that hurt him-I never meant to be a contributor to it."

"You aren't. You got him out of that situation-"

"Face it, I am the reason he was in that situation, And I might hate that, and it might hurt to deal with it, but it's the damn truth."

"Parents make mistakes, Haley," Anna responded. "We do it everyday, and we regret them, and we deny them, but we're not immune to making them. And you are twenty-three years old-you are one of the bravest people I've met. You're willing to do what many siblings would have put off on other family members, or social workers and foster parents. _You_ are the reason he's still here, and not potentially dead-you need to remember that more often than you do."

"I'm not a parent-"

"You were when you signed up for the gig."

"I guess. It still doesn't help that I feel guilty anytime I see him in here."

"Haley, you are amazing." The young woman jumped, looking over to the doorway, where Nathan stood, two coffees in hand. "And even more than that, you amaze me in everything you do. You do it with such passion, and you through yourself into it, and you'll take all the crap in the world, just so anyone else doesn't feel pain. You are amazing."

**I know...awww! moment...fluffiness!!! oh, medical stuff is probably totally not right; I AM NO DOCTOR! Please review!!**


	7. Chapter 7

-1**So, I lied: this chapter is Naley...and only Naley. NEXT CHAPTER i will introduce Deb and Dan, the storyline between Lucas and Nathan, and have Nick coming home. Thank you all for your endearing reviews that make me so happy every time I read them.**

Disclaimer: I do not own OTH...in fact, I don't have the money to own OTH...sigh I guess that means I can't have James...

**Rating:** T, for use of profanity, and naleyness...

**Chapter Seven: Lose Yourself**

Nick watched his fingers, held in some device that was resetting his bones, so slowly, ever so slowly. "Stop that!" he heard his sister chide, looking up to see her talking to Nathan, coming this way. They were holding hands, and he smiled; since the Talk before he ran off, Nathan and Haley had kept their cool around him, even if he already gave them his blessing. He figured if Nathan would stay by his bed all day and all night so that his sister would get some rest, he was an all right guy.

They dropped hands as they came closer to his room, and he shook his head, looking back at his arm, extended in that contraption. His muscles were sore; the doctor had told him three more days in the…thing…but he wasn't sure he could last that long. Sure, he was out of it for an hour or two for tests every day, it didn't relieve the soreness.

"Hey, Nicky," Haley greeted her brother with a big smile, setting down a couple of magazines on the nightstand. "How'd you sleep?"

"Three more days, right? My arm is sore."

"Better than it hurting," Nathan added in, looking at the small glasses of liquid on the tray away from the bed. "Your stomach still not feeling better?" Nick had been awake for three days, and he couldn't eat more than liquid food. Though the doctor had given him medication after medication, nothing had done the trick, and now Amherst was considering do an exploratory surgery.

"It's okay; I'm just not hungry," Nick explained, shrugging, grimacing at the pain. "Did you get some sleep, Hales?"

"Yes, and you don't need to worry about it. I am a grown woman!" Haley chuckled, sitting by her brother's bed. "There are some cops in the waiting room that need to talk to you, if you feel up to it. I know you're still feeling shitty, but I figured the sooner the better-"

"Unfortunately, Ms. James, he won't be able to do it right now. The nurse said that he apparently didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I have a nice little shot that's gonna put you to sleep. You need that rest, Nick; I'm serious. You keep stayin' up and your body isn't going to heal," the doctor chastised. "You realize you just got out of a very complicated surgery a day and a half ago, right?"

"I know. I'm sorry," Nick murmured, looking down. "I tried-I had nightmares."

Haley looked questioningly at her brother; apparently, this was the first time she had heard about this. "Well, next time, call the nurse. There's something called a sedative, it kinda numbs everything-" Nick grinned, it only slightly falling when the doctor pushed the sleeping medication into his IV. "He'll only be asleep for a few hours; I just want him to get some rest."

"I understand. Do you think it'll help with his stomach?" Haley ventured, giving Nick a reassuring smile, the smile only widening when she saw Nathan gently squeeze his shoulder.

"It might. Get some rest, young man, and I'll see you later. Haley, Nathan, I hope you two have a good day." Nick nodded, feeling his eyes begin to droop.

"Haley, if you want to go home-" he began, watching her shake her head.

"No. I went home, I slept, I'll stay with you today. Nathan, you look like you could get some sleep, though. Why don't you go home, get Tess, rest up. You've already done so much for us."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You go…I'll stay."

"Okay. I'm gonna go home and get some sleep, then get Tess and I'll be back up here for dinner." 

"Okay." They both glanced at Nick, who was watching them intently, a smug look on his face. Nathan leaned in, placing a sweet kiss on Haley's lips.

"You two so owe me some money," Nick muttered, his eyes finally shutting. Haley laughed, kissing his forehead as she pulled the blanket up his chest.

"He seems to be in good spirits," she commented, feeling Nathan's hands massage her neck.

"I think he is…I think he's come to terms with what's happened-"

"Or the drugs are working really well," she added in, looking back at her brother. "Now we can start healing, right, Nathan?"

"Yeah. Now, you can start healing," he said, kissing her cheek.

**----PUSH----**

"No-NO!!" Haley's eyes slammed open, looking at her brother's body, which was arching off the bed.

"Nick? Nicky, calm down-" she frantically pressed the call button, "Nick, please…you're okay. Nothing's gonna hurt you-Nathan and I are going to protect you-" His body arched again, spasming in pain. She heard the flat line on the heart machine, then it starting up at a frantic rate again.

The door slammed open, the doctor holding a hypodermic needle. "It's okay, Haley. He's just having a bad nightmare," Amherst explained, sticking the needle in the IV. "He'll calm down in a couple of minutes. Has he had these kind of nightmares before?"

"No…never like this. He has a lot of nightmares, though…most of it comes from what he suffered with his father. He hadn't had one in awhile…three or four months. I assumed they'd gone away," she answered, trailing her fingers up and down Nick's forearm.

"Have you ever considered counseling for him?"

"I don't exactly have the money to put him through counseling, Dr. Amherst. I worked at a bar, my boyfriend was a bum-"

"I could give you the name of a couple of psychologists that do pro bono work, if you'd like."

"That'd be great; I'm not sure if Nick would agree to go, but I'll talk to him and see. Thank you, Dr. Amherst."

"No problem. Nick's a really good kid; it's sad to see something like this happen to him. You've done a really good job with him," Amherst complimented, looking at the teen, whimpering in his sleep. "You ought to be proud."

"I am." Haley was smiling. Nick's eyes were working their way open, slowly, hazily. "Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he breathed out, blinking. "Hales-"

"It's okay, Nick. You had a nightmare; you were pretty erratic."

"I haven't had one of…those in awhile," Nick commented, squinting. "Everything hurts-" Haley turned to Dr. Amherst, who nodded in understanding.

"He's being weaned off the major doses of strong painkillers. Everything's gonna hurt until the nurse gives him the next round of medicine-in about an hour." Haley nodded, turning slightly when she heard a knock on the door. There sttod Tess, Nathan behind her, a bag in his hand.

"HAWEY!" Tess yelled, bounding over to the girl she had grown attached to. Haley held the girl tight, kissing her forehead before setting her down. Tess' attention turned to Nick, who reached out between the railing on the bed, taking Tess' hand. "NICK!"

"Hey, Tess," he whispered, mustering a smile. The doctor left the room, leaving the small 'family' alone. "What have you been doing?"

"Aunt Kawen pwayed Bawbie wit me! Daddy went to pawk wit me and pups!"

"Did he? And how are the puppies?" Nick's voice was barely above a whisper, laced with pain. His stomach was bothering him, and he had a feeling that he was going to throw up soon.

"Good."

Haley stood, going over to Nathan. "What do you have there?" she asked him, leaning in to him. 

"Food for you, because I assumed you haven't eaten yet, and I figured he might want some pajama bottoms," Nathan replied, kissing her. Why don't you and Tess go down and get a drink or something and I'll help him?"

"Cause he's not going to be embarrassed if I do it?"

"No, but you're his sister. It's kind of awkward."

"Okay, I have to agree with you there. Tess, let's go get some Coke," Haley suggested, giving Nick a smile. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay?"

"Have fun," Nick whispered, looking out the window at the fading sunset. "I had to be asleep for awhile."

"You were. Here…I got you-"

"I heard. You know, I could do this by myself." Nick winced in pain, looking back at Nathan.

"That would be funny to see. Now, just shut up-better than what you've got now, right?" Nick nodded, allowing Nathan to help him. "So, about Haley and me-I like her a lot, Nick. Which means someday I'd like her to become a permanent member of my family. And, if you'd like, maybe you, too. I just…I want you to know that."

"It means a lot, Nathan…but TJ said the same thing and look what happened. What if you get into an accident-what if you can't play ball anymore? Are you going to turn into a monster? Start hitting your girlfriend because you blame them?"

"I have a college degree, Nick-not playing basketball is not the end of my life. And you know that I won't hit her-or you-"

"I think I know…and this just might be the drugs talking, but I think I know that. My mind's just really foggy and-"

"And why don't you go back to sleep? How's your stomach?"

"Feels like I'm going to throw up any second now," he answered truthfully, looking at his arm. "If I'm being honest." He added a smirk.

**----PUSH----**

Haley trembled as she felt Nathan's lips on hers', his fingers curling in her hair as he pressed them into a wall in the bedroom. She had agreed to leave Nick for the night, only because he was having a six and a half hour surgery, part of which to do a final reset of his bones and another part to remove part of his liver, which had developed an infection. She was worried, and Nathan was trying to relax her. She knew that the doctor would call if anything happened.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, trailing wet kisses down her neck. She sighed in contentment, wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tight as the tears started flowing. For so long, she had stood her ground, being the unmoving, unemotional statue; tonight she was letting it all out. "Sssh, sssh, baby. It's okay. I'm here-" His hand trailed down her neck, tilting her head up as their lips met again.

Tonight had been magical. He had taken her to a dinner at the small, harbor-area restaurant before bringing her back here. It was their first official date.

He brought her back to reality as he kissed right below her ear lobe, making her shiver in delight. "Oh…my…God," she whispered, pressing her lips back on his. "You…are…incredible."

He smiled against her neck, lightly biting, sucking, almost enough to leave a mark, but not quite. She placed shy kisses on his forehead, his cheeks, his eyelids, his lips…demure and classy, so much like herself. He picked her up, twirling her around as he led her to the bed, to let her get some sleep before she had to go to hospital again.

**----PUSH----**

Haley grimaced as she heard the phone ringing, sitting up, feeling the blanket slip down to her waist. She picked up the phone, turning it on as she glanced at Nathan, who was molded around the spot her body had laid in. "Hello?"

"Ms. James? This is Anna Braden, from the hospital?"

"Yes, I remember you. Is everything-"

"Everything is fine, Haley. I just wanted to let you know that Nick came through surgery wonderfully. His arm is in this pretty white cast-we were able to go in at the elbow and fix his bones, so we can watch the incision, too. His liver-we had to remove about a fourth of it, which had succumbed to the infection and wouldn't have been able to be recovered."

"I'll be there in like thirty minutes," Haley promised, giving a quick farewell before putting the phone back on the hook. She pushed the blankets off, feeling Nathan hook his arm around her waist and pull her back onto the bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked sleepily, blue eyes shimmering up at her. He looked good bathed in sunlight.

"Nick just got out of surgery," she replied, kissing his forehead, but still moving out of the bed. "I need to be there when he wakes up. He'll probably be really confused about where he is-"

"Okay. I have to go to practice today, but it ends at one, and I'll leave from there and go to the hospital, okay?" Nathan answered, looking at the clock. "It's only six. What time did they take him into surgery?"

"Eleven. It took them a little while longer than expected," she said, climbing out of the bed, grabbing some jeans and a loose t-shirt.

"Hey, take the truck, will you? I don't want to worry about your car breaking down," Nathan called after her, hearing the water running in the sink. He fell back into his sheets, sighing in contentment. He was, after all, content; Haley was one of the best things that had happened to his life-Tess being the other. He felt like she would take care of him and do her best not to hurt him-unlike his previous girlfriends, who had all been after his money.

"What'd you say, before I went into the bathroom?" she asked, combing her hair into a ponytail.

"Take the truck. It's a pretty long way away, and I don't want your car to break down," he responded, sitting up.

"But-"

"Haley, you will take the truck. No arguments."

She nodded, leaning in to kiss him. "I…thank you, Nathan," she whispered, taking the keys off the nightstand.

"No trouble." He pulled her into a searing kiss, lips locking, tongues battling, hands tangled in one another's hair.

"O..Okay, Nathan. I have to go." He leaned his forehead against hers, kissing the tip of nose.

"Okay. See you soon," he said, giving her a trademark Nathan Scott smile. She smiled back, leaving the room. She checked in on Tess, petting Zeus, who was curled up at the foot of her bed. Argos was on Nick's bed, curled up, waiting for Nick to return home. She scratched him between his ears, hearing him mew in happiness.

The drive to the hospital was unhindered, silent, a twenty minute period to think. And she thought. She thought about herself, about her relationship with Nathan. She saw them going far, maybe even, somewhere down the line, down an aisle to get married. Maybe at Nick's graduation, watching him with his friends as he stepped up on that stage…maybe having children of their own to appease big sister Tess.

She smiled as she pulled into a visitor's spot in the hospital parking lot, surprised at the lack vehicles around. She climbed out of the truck, locking the doors as she made her way inside.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a nurse at the information station asked, giving Haley a kind smile.

"My brother, Nick, had surgery early this morning, and I was just wondering which roo-"

"Haley!" She turned, smiling at Dr. Amherst. "He's fine, Haley. I took good care of him."

"How is he?"

"Still knocked out," he answered, leading her to the elevator. "He did wonderfully. His arm was almost perfect, but it will need to stay in a cast for a couple of months. His liver-he's definitely going to be sore for a few months, but it will get back to normal. As long as he doesn't suffer another setback, he'll be out of this place within the week. And where is that boyfriend of yours'? I thought he could maybe go visit the children's ward; they would enjoy seeing someone who car-"

"I'm sure he'd do that, Dr. Amherst. What do you mean, people who care?"

"Unfortunately, most kids in the ward are terminal, and their parents haven't been to see them-some in months. A lot of the reason is because they live in rural parts of the state and they can't get off work-they have to pay for the hospital and so a lot of them can't afford to come visit."

"Like I said, he'd probably be happy to do it. He loves seeing their faces," she admitted, going into Nick's normal room. Her brother was still, the heart monitor beeping regularly.

"Haley?" Nick whimpered, eyes fluttering open. She smiled at him, taking his good hand. "You have a twin?"

"Do I now? Am I the favorite one?" she quipped, laughing as he looked at her, confused. He shifted in the bed, his arm shifting in the blue sling. She could see the incision, near his elbow, nice and neat. She could also see the outline of the bandages on the side of his body. "Get some rest, baby. I'll be here when you wake up."

**----PUSH----**

Nathan gasped as he finished his thirteenth mile, leaning over to take in some slow breaths. He did this once every week-run half a marathon on the track of Tree Hill High School. He used to do it as a basketball player at the school, only, then it was combined with stairs and weights.

"You know, you still run that as fast as you used to in school?" Whitey Durham asked, coming up to his former player. 

"I'd hope so-I've been doing it every day **since** high school," Nathan gasped out. "You're lookin' good, Coach."

"Well, these years have been good to me. And you, too, apparently."

"Yeah…I just signed back with the Bobcats," Nathan replied, going to his bag.

"I was talkin' about that pretty girl that's been seen with you," Whitey said, making Nathan look at him. "I watch TV, boy. You're pretty popular with them entertainment shows, and they seemed to have taken a likin' to why you are hostin' such a pretty girl in your house."

"Hales is pretty. You've met her-she registered her brother for school earlier this week. She came home and asked me about you. Her brother's…great at basketball-as long as he gets fixed up in time for the season."

"Fixed up?" Whitey inquired/

"Haley came to me to get away from that jackass of a boyfriend that beat her-and he found Nick and came after Nick. Right now, he's in the hospital for his arm-it's messed up pretty badly. But it'll get better."

"I look forward to seeing him at practice in November. I'll let you get back to what you're doin', son. Keep up the good work."

"I will. Bye, Coach."

It was another hour before he made it to the hospital, but he was freshly showered and had Tess in tow with him. He knocked on the door to Nick's room, surprised to see an empty bed and a sleeping Haley. "Hales-Haley, wake up," he whispered, shaking her shoulder. Her eyes slammed open, big brown eyes staring at him. "Where's Nick?"

"They took him to get an MRI or something of his arm. He'll be back in a few minutes." She took Tess from him, sitting her in her lap. "What'd you do?"

"Went to practice, ran a couple miles, talk to Whitey-he's looking forward to meeting Nick."

"As long as he's better by then," she commented, smiling at Tess, who snuggled into Haley. "It's time for her nap."

"I know. I brought her blanket and Melvin." Melvin was Tess' stuffed bear, a soft creature that Nathan had bought at some famous toy store in New York. Haley set Tess down on the empty bed on the other side of the room, kissing her forehead and wishing her sweet dreams. She felt Nathan wrap his arm around her waist, and she leaned back into him. "So, I have a question for you," he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" She smiled, turning in his arms, wrapping her arms around him as she lost herself in their kisses.

**Read and Review...please...**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, this is probably the worse piece of crap I've ever written...but I can't think...so I apologize in advance and hope some of you will stick around for my next chapter...in which _I WILL INTRODUCE OTHER CHARACTERS!_ I'm soooo sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I own not OTH**

**Chapter Eight: Fear**

"So, remember, do not get this cast wet-you do, and I might have to strangle you," Anna cautioned her patient as she helped him unsnag his t-shirt from the cumbersome object surrounding his arm. "Follow the diet that I've listed out for your sister for two weeks-after you come back for your tests, will tell you what other foods you're allowed to have, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nick answered quietly, watching his sister at the front desk, filling out his discharge papers and paying for his care-nearly $50,000 worth of surgery and hospital stay fees. He felt sick to his stomach that Nathan had paid it all without blinking an eyelash-and then told Nick very firmly that he would not be paying it back, no matter how much Nick argued with him about it. He had said something about being okay with putting out money to help his girlfriend's brother.

_Girlfriend._ He wondered when Haley and Nathan decided they wanted to be labeled an exclusive couple. He thought it was that day after he'd had his last surgery, considering that was the time when they started holding hands when they were around him and…acting more like a couple.

It was late August; Nick was set to start school three weeks from now, broken arm and all. He'd only be going for a half day for the first week, as stipulated by his doctor, who was worried about Nick tiring himself out. While in the hospital, Nick had gotten through all his summer reading books, and now wondered what he was going to do while he was supposed to be 'taking it easy'.

"Nick, would you at least pretend like you're listening to me?" He turned his head back to the nurse, who was shaking her head. "When you end up back here-"

"I heard-follow what you said on the diet. I just really want to get out of here," Nick explained carefully. "I…"

"It's okay, Nick. Your sister is just filling out the discharge papers," Anna replied, nodding to Nathan. "Good morning, Mr. Scott."

"Morning. Has he been a pain?" Nathan teased Nick, who smirked up at him.

"Of course not. He's been great. Take good care of him-"

"We will. He needs to be back here next week, right?" Nathan asked, hands resting on the back of the wheelchair. Though Nick insisted he could walk, it was hospital policy that he go to his ride in a wheelchair.

"Yeah. Dr. Amherst will see you next Wednesday. I'm off then."

"And Nicky is officially out of here," Haley said, triumphantly holding up the discharge papers. Nathan started pushing the wheelchair, watching Nick attempt to grab the prescriptions from his sister. "Stop! You are not supposed to exert yourself!"

"That is a bunch of bull, Haley, and you know it-"

"And I'm gonna go back in there and ask Anna for some restraints if you don't rest," Haley replied, glaring at him. "You just spent a week in the hospital; you don't need another one there for exhaustion."

Nick finally relented, leaning back in the wheelchair. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Nicky. We'll get you home and let the dogs climb on you and see how much you want to jump around then," Haley returned, laughing. "Nathan's got a surprise for you." Nick looked up at the man questioningly, taking the nicely wrapped package. He clumsily undid it, curious written all over his face as he opened the box, looking at the watch, crystal newly put in from when he had thrown it. "We expect you to keep that one, Nicky." The teen nodded, quietly thanking Nathan.

Tess ran to greet them as Nathan helped Nick to the house. Lucas was behind her, a broad smile across his face. "Niwck!" Tess screamed, hugging the sixteen-year-old around the neck, not hearing him whimper in pain. Lucas pulled the girl off Nick, chiding her as Nathan moved Nick past the entrance. Argos and Zeus were in the foyer, barking happily as they tried to jump on the teenager.

Nathan joined Haley in the kitchen after helping Tess set out her coloring books in front of Nicky. Nate leaned in to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled against his lips, running her hands through his thick hair. His hands slipped down her thighs, pushing her up on the counter. She smiled, leaning in to kiss him again. She felt his hands resting on her hips. Their lips moved in sync with one another, providing force against one another.

His lips broke off hers', trailing down her neck. She moaned in happiness, her hands finding the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it up. He smirked at her suggestively, offering her a hand. She took it, hopping off the counter. "Nick? You okay watching Tess for a little bit?" she called, all the while moving toward the stairs, eyes locked on Nathan's baby blues.

"Yeah!" she heard Nick call back, laughing a little, as if he knew what Nathan and her were doing.

Nathan picked her up, carrying her up the stairs at the end of the kitchen. They were kissing all the way up to the master bedroom. He laid her in the bed, raising up momentarily to remove his shirt. She took a deep breath, telling herself she could do this. "Hales? You sure you're okay?"

"I'm good, Nate, I promise," she whispered, running her fingers up and down his upper arm sensually. "I just…truthfully, I haven't done this in a while."

"Wow…admitting it. It's okay, Hales-I'm not gonna pressure you into anything; you know that, right?" he asked, nipping her bottom lip.

"You're not. I'm making a choice," she responded, capturing his lips, pulling him down on top of her. Clothes got strewn all over the room, lips on various patches of skin, various sounds elicited as they joined together, again, again, again.

And as she lay in his arms afterwards, tight in his protection, light creeping in from the big, French windows, splish-splashing over their bodies, she let out a silent prayer, thanking God for what he had given her.

Someone she loved.

**----PUSH----**

Night had finally washed over before Nathan and Haley joined the rest of their family downstairs, freshly showered. Tess was sitting on the couch, coloring beside a sleeping Nick, sprawled across the length of the couch. At their feet, Argos and Zeus were huddled together.

"How cute," Nathan whispered to Haley, feeling her lean against him, his arms around her. "You look hot in my shirt."

"I look hot in anything."

"That you do," he returned, nuzzling her neck. "But especially in my clothes." She smiled up at him, capturing his lips in a savory kiss.

"Daddy?" Tess called, and Nathan stepped out, smiling at his daughter as she ran to him. He hugged her tight, twirling her around in the air. "Daddy, where you go?"

"Sorry, baby. I need….a little time. Did you color me a good picture?" She nodded her head enthusiastically, struggling out of his arms, running to the coffee table, picking up a piece of printer paper, handing it to her father.

"See? Dat's ou, me, Hawey, and Nick," she said excitedly. "And dat's Weus and 'Gos."

"It's beautiful, sweetheart," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "But it's time for you to get ready for bed. C'mon, let's go get your bath started. Do you want bubbles?"

"Yay!" Tess exclaimed excitedly, squealing when Nathan picked her up, putting her on his shoulders. Haley watched them with a soft smile, turning back to look at her brother. He was still asleep, arm resting on his chest.

"Nick, Nicky, get up," she whispered, shaking her brother's calf, knowing his shoulder was probably on fire right now. "Nicky, c'mon, bud, get up."

"No." His voice was laced with sleep, but he pushed his eyes open. "Haley?"

"C'mon, time to go up to your real bed. You know, that thing upstairs that you're actually supposed to sleep in?"

"I don't wanna," he replied, turning on the couch, but slowly getting up.

**----PUSH----**

"Why do you have to go?" Haley asked Nathan as he packed shirts in his bag, preparing to leave his mismatched family for two weeks to go train and do press conferences in California. It was October, nearly time for the season to start, and she realized she would have to get used to Nathan being gone a lot. Their relationship had been going strong, and while she didn't fear that he would stray on the road, she did fear that they would loose their connection.

"Because, Hales, I have to train. And answer dumb questions about why I love playing basketball. I'll be back for Halloween, and then I'm home for two weeks. I'll call you everyday, promise. And remember, if you're worried about being safe-"

"I'm not. Your dad is awesome with this security stuff, and those dogs would protect Nick and Tess with their lives. I just don't want you to go," she whispered hugging him tight as she rested her head on his chest. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Do you know how much I'm gonna miss you, Hales? You, Tess, and Nick-you're like my life right now. But, we need the money, and I love to play; Haley, nothing is going to happen. I promise. I'll go, I'll train, I'll interview, and I'll be home before you know it."

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Hales," he whispered, wrapping her body tight in his. "Maybe we can make you travel-sized and hide you in my bag." She burst out laughing. "I have a couple hours before I have to leave…"

She smiled her sweet smile, then grinned seductively as she started on the buttons of his shirt. They made love underneath the covers, making up for the lost time they would have when he went away. To him, she was perfection; the one thing he always desired and the thing he could now have. To her, he was the gift that God had sent her, to comfort her and heal her.

Afterwards, she would not remember the way her toes curled when he touched her, or the way she though his skin shined as the light touched it. She would remember the way he whispered 'I love you' against her skin, the way he held her tight, and the way he promised that he'd always love her. That's it. He knew her fear-her fear of loss. And he would never let her suffer that. Not again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys! Chapter nine's here, and introduces my next arc. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer **I DO NOT OWN OTH. Can't afford to

**Chapter Nine: Family**

Nick grimaced as the nurse cut through his cast, feeling the steel of the scissors on his skin. He looked at Nathan, who was talking with Dr. Amherst outside the room. Haley was going to come, but Karen needed her to work an emergency shift to cover a sick worker. Nathan had the day off, so he had agreed to come with Nick. It was only two weeks to basketball tryouts, and though Whitey said he could delay Nick's tryouts, Nick felt that he would be picked on as having favoritism on the team.

"Nick, you need to hold still," Anna said, steadying Nick's arm on the tray. "I don't want to cut your skin…not after we worked so hard to get that arm fixed. Give me a couple more minutes-it's almost done!"

"Sorry; I'm anxious," Nick answered, looking around the room again. "Will I need physical therapy?"

"Depends on your mobility when we get this thing off. You might need a little PT, or you might need a lot…you might not need any. We'll see what Dr. Amherst has to say," Anna answered, snipping through the last bit of the cast. She carefully slipped Nick's arm through the plaster, throwing it in the trash. Nick looked at his arm, finally seeing the scars that littered the limb. One scar going across the palm of his hand, another right above his wrist, and one on either side of his arm. It was ash white, and covered with a thin layer of plaster. "Okay, I'm gonna get some stuff to clean your arm off, and then Dr. Amherst will be back in to talk to you."

Nick nodded, watching the nurse leave to get a wet rag. He looked at his fingers, wondering if they'd work. He felt over them, blanching when he felt the bumps of the metal pins.

"You know those will heal down a little?" Amherst said from the doorway, smirking as he came in with a manilla envelope. "You can't rush it…you're lucky they're healed."

"Sorry…"

"I know…you just can't wait to be free." Amherst sat back in his chair, letting Anna rub down Nick's arm. "Okay, we're gonna start with simple stuff. Just lay your arm out flat, and I'm gonna move your fingers into a fist." Nick nodded, laying his arm palm up. Each finger curled, balling into a fist. "Good. I want you to stretch them back out." Again Nick nodded, concentrating on each finger as they lengthened. "That's great. Rotate your wrist-" another success, though he had to grimace at the effort it took. "Good. Okay, so you obviously need a little bit of PT-two hours twice a week, for a month, maybe a month and a half. I'm gonna give you medical clearance for tryouts, but I want your arm in a brace for at least three months during basketball, and for the next week. I'm gonna go ahead and schedule your PT for Monday, here at the hospital, with Derek-he's a good physical therapist, and he'll work to build your strength back up and refine your fine motor skills."

"Okay. But I can play basketball?"

"Not a lot…an hour or two a day, no heavy passing, especially with that arm."

"I'll work with him," Nathan promised, smiling at Nick. "Whitey was gonna have to postpone tryouts anyway; he's got to go out of town next week. Is he done?"

"Uh, let me get him the brace, and we'll be good to go." Dr. Amherst left, and Nick turned to Nathan.

"Where do we have to go?"

"My mom wants us to have lunch with her, and since you're out for the whole day, I figured it'd be fine."

"But I thought your mom was dead."

"No. Just what Dan says-it was a bitter divorce. I mean, a bad bitter divorce; they won't even talk to one another now. And yet they live in the same neighborhood." Nathan shook his head. "I lived with Karen and Lucas until I graduated; that's when I started talking to my parents again."

"I don't talk to mine."

"You have a reason not to. Mine I was just pissed at." Amherst came back in at that moment, fitting a black brace on Nick's arm.

"How does that feel?" he asked, making Nick move his fingers and arm within the brace.

"Good. Even great. Can I go now?"

"Sure. I'll see you Monday." Nick nodded, climbing off the exam table. He followed Nathan out to his Hybrid, climbing in the front seat, looking in the back, where Argos was sleeping. Nick smiled, petting his puppy.

"Beware, my mom might um…seem a little crazy. In fact, she might be a little crazy. Depends on the day of the week. She used to like to pop pills…a lot…that's why they got divorced."

"So, you're mom's crazy, your dad is a workaholic, and I let my sister date you…great."

"She's not exactly crazy… she just….the pills messed her up. And my dad divorcing her drove her off the deep end. But I think she'll really like you." The rest of the ride was quiet as they entered the gated community. Nick was shell-shocked as they pulled up to the ostentatious mansion. "You realize you have to get out of the car, right? Argos can go in, too." Nick nodded, unbuckling his seat belt. "You'll be fine."

"So says the son of the crazy woman that lives in the big, giant house," Nick snapped, letting Argos out of the back seat. Nick was pretty tall, at last measurement 6'1", but Argos was growing to be almost up to his waist-and he was only eight months old.

Deb ran out to hug her son in only a robe and a flimsy nightgown, a glass of sherry in her hand. Nathan sighed, taking the glass away, shaking his head. "Nathan! I'm so glad you…you make it!" Deb slurred kissing both cheeks of her son, turning her attention to Nick. "This…must be…Dick….Dick, right?"

"Nick, Ms…Lee. Nick James," Nick replied nearly bursting out laughing. Deb grabbed his hand, basically pulling him into the house. Nathan followed, eyes downcast. This could turn out to be a horrible mistake.

As lunch was served, Deb downed her third sherry, wiping the excess on the back of her hand. "So…your sister…Nathan's dating her, right? They're having sex?" Nick spit out his swallow of water, carefully picking up his napkin. "Is there a problem, Dick?"

"Nick, Ms. Lee…and I don't know what my sister and your son do in their spare time, but yes, they're dating."

"Well, for Nathan, dating is sex." Nick's eyes widened at Nathan, who took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"Mom, maybe we should go. I'll call you tomorrow-" Nathan started to stand, but Deb grabbed his hand, sitting him down.

"Honey, you can't leave me. You father jus' left me an' I can't live without you! My pills, where are my pills? Nathan, give me my pills! Does your _friend_ have them? Give them to me, Nathan Alexander! I want my pills, and I want them now! Give them to me!" Deb screamed, fighting against Nathan as he grabbed both her wrists, yelling at Nick to get the in-house nurse. Why did she have to do this? Why did she have to be so messed up?

**----PUSH----**

"I can't believe she did that." Nathan gripped the steering wheel until it was white, his foot inching down the gas pedal. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Nathan. I come from a lot worse."

"I need to call someone to take care of her-cause she's obviously not taking care of herself," Nathan remarked absentmindedly as they pulled into the driveway of the house. "How 'bout we play a game?" He asked as they got into the kitchen.

"Um…how about I take a nap, and then we'll play?" Nick suggested instead, following Argos up to his room. Nathan watched him go up, picking up his cell phone, dialing his father's number.

"Dan Scott Security. How may I help you?"

"Dad?"

"Nate? What's wrong? TJ didn't show-"

"No. Everything's working great."

"Did Haley break up with you? Cause if you broke up with her, you're a dum-"

"No, Dad! Nick had a doctor's appointment to day, and afterwards we went to Mom's to have lunch-"

"Nathan-" Dan interrupted.

"Shut up! She was drunk off her ass, Dad! She called Nick Dick for God's sake, and then she had the gall to ask him if me and Haley were sleeping together! She freaked out over her pills…I need help! I can't keep doing this…I can't take care of her anymore. She needs to go somewhere that can help her-"

"Nathan, calm down-"

"You didn't see her! She almost _slapped_ Nick. What if that had been Haley?"

There was nothing on the phone and Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "Dad?"

"I'm here. I'm gonna call some one, Nate. If she calls you, don't answer it, do you understand me?"

"Dad-"

"I'm getting her help, okay? That's all you need to know. Now promise me if she calls you then you want answer."

"Yes, sir. I promise."

"Okay. I'll call you when I get more information for you, okay? Try get some sleep, Nate, and eat something, and not worry. I'll take care of her."

"Thanks, Dad."

"I'd do anything for you, Nate…you and Lucas-and anytime you decide to add in family-cough-haleyandnick-cough."

"Subtle, Dad. Okay. Please call me."

"I will. Maybe you should talk to your brother-he said he hasn't heard from you in about a month."

"I know. We're supposed to go tux-shopping soon," Nathan replied, finally hanging up his phone. He fixed himself a sandwhich, ended up feeding half of it to Zeus, and crashed on the couch.

**----PUSH----**

"So your Mom's getting help?" Haley asked her boyfriend as she massaged his shoulders, hearing him sigh.

"Yeah. There's a place in Georgia called Focus-by-the-sea. My dad got her in there, and she's left already."

"At least she's getting help, Nathan. A lot of people don't," she commented, grinning like mad as he pushed off the bed, making her fall beside him. "All you needed to say was you wanted to be on top," she chided, making him smirk. He let out a ferocious growl, leaning in to bite her neck gently. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well, I want to be on top."

"I'm sure you do, Cowboy," she said in a soft Southern accent, pulling him down to her. He kissed her, feeling her sigh beneath him. It wasn't full of despair like his sigh earlier, instead full of hope and satisfaction.

"Cowboy? Sexy, Hales, really," he returned, nipping her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Nathan. And you make me happy-I had to add that in if we're doing that whole clichéd talk before loving thing…" She sat up, pushing him up. "I don't need to hear it every time, Nathan. I love you, and I trust you, and I know you love me. So, we can cut the convos before the session, okay?"

"Hales, I don't say that to be…clichéd. I say it because I mean it, and I'm always gonna mean it, and I want to say it. Plus, I'm just that romantic type of guy that comes straight out of the Harlequin romance novel. I like to talk-"

"Obviously. But you know what? If you like it-" she fell back onto the bed, pulling him back on top of her. "Continue, please."

"Gonna call me Cowboy?"

She smirked, kissing him. "Maybe."

**----PUSH----**

Nick turned in his bed, trying to get some sleep. He pushed himself up, taking a deep breath, looking across the room, out the big bay window and the French door, curtains drawn tight across them. He climbed out of bed, grabbing his comforter, a flashlight, and a copy of _Heart of Darkness_, grabbing the attention of Argos, who followed his master out to the balcony. At least he wouldn't have nightmares if he was awake.

He hadn't told Haley about his nightmares. They were of TJ, of the beating he had taken. Of the feeling of having the air knocked out of him and not returning. He couldn't describe them to Haley, not that he wanted too, especially since she was happy-so happy. Yesterday, he had heard her singing. Outloud. She never sang out loud. At least, not that he remembered.

Nathan opened Nick's door, intent on just checking up on the teenager. It was Saturday, and Nathan had no intention of making Nick wake up any earlier than he had to.

He nearly panicked when he couldn't find Nick. TJ instantly flashed into his mind, but hearing Argos scratching at the balcony doors made him open the curtains. Nick was curled up, asleep in the big lazy boy chair they had moved outside, into the shade and protection of the roof awning above, a big, thick blanket covering him. A book and flashlight were below the chair. Nathan wondered what the sixteen-year-old was doing outside.

"Nick?" Nathan called, shaking the boy's shoulder.

"What the holy hell?" Nick yelled, his eyes jerking open. He took a minute to calm down, looking around at his setting. Why was he on the balcony?

"Nick, what are you doing out here?"

"I probably had a nightmare last night. I was gonna get something accomplished in that book-Conrad's a hard read," Nick mumbled, running a hand over his face. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Came in to check on you; I know you haven't been sleeping well the past couple of nights. What's bothering you?"

"Usual stuff. Plus, now I got basketball tryouts and my arm and I'm just stressed. The nightmares tend to happen when I stress out," Nick answered, climbing out of the chair, grabbing his blanket, book and flashlight, heading back indoors. "You didn't have to come check-up on me; I do this all the time."

"Okay. It's only seven; you can go back to sleep. I was just on my way to check up on Tess, too."

"Actually, I can't. I promised I'd meet Ben and Mac at the Rivercourt; we're doing this practice thing before tryouts."

"Ben and Mac? You haven't mentioned them before," Nathan commented in surprise.

"Ben Mathias and Mac Warner. They're my friends-oddly understanding and accepting of the whole beating issue; they've been running with me since September."

"Maybe you can bring them over sometime and we can all play a little ball; I'll call Lucas and see if you three can beat the pros," Nathan offered, to which Nick nodded, smirking at Nathan as he threw his book into a chair in his room, setting out to make his bed.

"I think we'd kick your ass…we make a pretty good team," Nick commented, going into his bathroom.

It only took him ten minutes to get ready, and Nathan followed him downstairs, watching him grab his basketball, his bag, a bottle of water and his shoes. "Nick, here, take the keys to the truck. Be careful. Call us when you leave, okay?" Nick nodded, thanking Nathan as he handed him the key. It meant a lot that Nathan trusted him.

"I'll be back by noon!" He called, opening the front door. Nathan went running after him when he heard everything crash to the ground. Nick's hands were shaking, and he was breathing in short, controlled breaths. At the door stood a tall, buff man, smirking at Nick, and a small woman with some resemblance to Haley.

"Nick-" Nathan began, looking up in concern as Haley came down stairs, hair still mused from their night.

"Mom…Dad," Nick whispered, eyes widening in fear.

Oh, _shit_.

**That's it...next...we introduce Lydia and Jake...A/N: Focus-by-the-sea is a real drug rehab place in GA...I claim no ownership in that, either, and am only borrowing the name.**


	10. Chapter 10

-1**Chapter Ten!!! The parents will be a continuing arc for this fic, as will the new character I'm introducing.**

**DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN OTH!

**rating:** T; anyone who knows my writing knows I like my profanity

**Chapter Ten: Come Together**

"What are you two doing here?" Haley snapped, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder to calm him down, reassure him that she was here for him. "You better give me a good reason or I'm gonna call the cops to haul your asses out of here."

"So confident now, Haley?" Jake snapped, turning back to his son. "Look at my boy."

_"Go to hell."_

All eyes turned to Nick, who, though his body was trembling slight and his voice full of fear, his green eyes said it all: I'm not afraid of you anymore.

"Ah, is my little boy all grown up?" Jake asked, stepping into the house. "Finally grow a pair?"

"At least I don't have to hit little boys to feel like a man," Nick answered smoothly, taking a deep breath to soothe the trembling.

"Nick, go through the kitchen and go," Nathan whispered in Nick's ear, leading him toward the kitchen. He pressed the keys into Nick's hands, opening the door. "Let Haley and me deal with this. Why don't you grab lunch with your friends, as well?"

"I don't have any money-" Nick began before Nathan forced the twenty dollar bill into Nick's fist. "Please, Nick, you stay out of this, okay?"

"Okay. Keep my sister safe, please?" Nick begged, looking worriedly at Nathan.

"I will. Go, Nicky." Nathan closed the door behind the boy, returning to the living room, Argos and Zeus on either side of him. Haley had her arms crossed over her chest, eyeing her parents with complete disgust. "You realize you have no legal right to Nick, right? Haley filed a specialized juncture that granted her custody right after Nick came to her, you realize that? And since you both failed to show up to the hearing, Haley was granted custody," Nathan informed the couple, snapping his fingers, the dogs growling, heading toward Jake and Lydia. "Get the hell off my property. If you don't leave Nick alone, I'll file a restraining order against you."

"Oh, the courageous white knight. Looks like you found someone real good for you, Haley," Lydia purred, looking at her husband as Haley glanced at Nathan.

"What do you want, Mom? You can't do much more to ruin my life, and you can't say anything to make what you've done right. So what do you want with me?" Haley asked in a whisper, feeling Nathan's hand tighten on hers', encouraging her.

"I just wanted to see my babies-"

"Yeah, right," Haley laughed out. "I know you. You want something-probably money for booze or drugs or whatever the hell you're into now. And guess what? You aren't getting it from me, and you sure aren't getting it from Nick. So leave-I'm sure you have someone who cares somewhere. But they aren't here. They'll never be here."

**----PUSH----**

Nick pushed off his right foot, passing the ball to Mac, who passed it back to Nick, who took a three-pointer, watching the ball go into the net.

"Nick, what's wrong with you?" Ben asked, tossing his friend a bottle of water. "You…you just don't seem yourself."

"My parents showed up, out of the blue and everything-" Nick said, unconsciously scratching his elbow. "Kinda like TJ."

"Are you okay?" Mac asked, watching his friend, concerned. "I mean, I don't see any stuff on you-"

"I'm okay. They just scared me shitless, that's all. I haven't seen them in like two years, and they've had the address in Texas a long time,' Nick whispered, looking at the brace on his hand. "Actually, it was more like I saw them and wanted to hurt them very, very badly. It used to be see them and freak."

"Your parents? I thought you lived with your sister and her boyfriend," Ben cut in, glancing at Mac, who shrugged.

"I do. My parents decided to make a little trip down here," Nick said, taking the ball from Mac, sinking it into the net. "To torture my already really messed up life."

"Wait, so what's going on? We all know I'm not the brightest apple in the barrel, so please elaborate."

"Not the brightest apple my foot, Mac. My parents-especially my dad, used to beat me when I was younger-so when I was fifteen, I ran away to Haley's and I've been living with her ever since. Technically, she's my guardian," Nick explained, sinking yet another shot. "My parents…are less than spectacular; in fact, they're God awful. One of those shouldn't-have-become-parents situations."

The three friends stood in silence awhile, tossing the ball around, making random shots from here and there on the court. "So, I can't stand the silence," Mac commented, tossing the ball to Ben, who nodded. "And, you know we don't really care where you come from, right? Or what you've come from or what you're hiding from. You're our friend, so none of that stuff matters to us. Might make for good gossip, though."

"That's what I need. I'm already the freak who got beat up before school and lives with Nathan Scott," Nick replied, giving a smirk to Mac.

"Okay, everyone at school thinks you're a god because you live with Nathan Scott," Ben protested. "I mean, how many girls want to get with you for that simple fact alone? Everyone but _Ayden_."

"Who is Ayden?" Mac asked, turning to Nick, eyes questioning. "Why the hell am I the last to know?"

"Because, Ben and I have AP Euro together. Ayden and I have AP Euro together. You do the math-'cause you're smart in that subject," Nick got out, as quick as possible, making Ben spew out the water he was drinking in laughter and Mac rolled his eyes.

"So, you two dating-"

"No! No, no, no, no….we're friends. That's it. End of story-sorry if you were looking for something more," Nick stuttered, looking at them, both laughing, hugging their sides in pain. "What?"

"You know she totally is in to you, right?" Mac asked, laughing some more. "Ayden Bennett-brown wavy hair? Green eyes? 'Bout five-four? Great T&A?-" Nick lunged at Mac, tackling him to the ground. "Someone's insanely jealous." Nick smacked Mac's shoulder with his good hand, rolling off his friend, giving him a glare. "What? I'm just saying, she's got great T&A potential-if only she didn't hide it under all those clothes of hers…Well, anyway, I heard her talking to that friend of hers, Ashley or Shannon or something like that, and they were talking about the Winter Formal and suddenly Friend goes 'So, what if he asks you?' and Ayden goes 'Why would Nick ask me? All we do is talk in Euro.' So, I say she likes you."

"I say you're crazy. Her friend's name is Lane, by the way. Listen, Nathan gave me money to go get some lunch, and I thought I'd share the wealth with you? What say you?"

"I say you be watchin' IPirates of the Caribbean/I too much," Ben commented, though he followed Nick to the park bench where all their stuff was sitting. 

"I can't help it. Tess likes to watch it, and since I am the reliable babysitter those two go to when they want to go on a date, or to a party, or to some interview. And I don't even get paid for it!" Nick yelled in mock frustration, throwing his bag in the passenger seat of the truck. It was a 2006 black F-250, a masterpiece in Nick's mind. "So, are you coming?"

"If you're paying, then hell yeah!" Mac said excitedly, following Ben to his beat-up 2004 red Jeep Wrangler. "Karen's Café?" Nick nodded, closing the door to his truck, starting the ignition. He saw his cell phone, discarded in the passenger seat, beeping frantically with a voice mail.

_"Hey, Nick, it's Haley-I think you probably knew that, though. Anyway, be on the lookout for el parentals…they're gone from here, with the usual gusto and threats of being back and taking revenge. It's….11:30 now, and I know Nathan told you to go out to lunch, but will you try to give me a call by 12 or so so I know that you're okay? Oh, Nathan has been invited to a movie premiere Friday, so we thought maybe we'd make it a little family vacation for the weekend. We'll talk when you get home. Love you."_ Nick sighed, pressing 1, returning Haley's call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hales."

"Nick, thank God. What have you been doing?"

"Playing ball with Ben and Mac. Is everything okay over there?"

"Yeah. I'll see you when you get home. You know Dr. Amherst said-"

"I know. Remind me to take some Tylenol when I get home. I tackled Mac and horsing around and-"

"I swear to God, Nicholas Gregory-"

"It's a good hurt, Haley, a good hurt. I'll be home in like an hour, okay?"

"Sure. Bye, Nick." With a goodbye, they hung up, Nick tossing his phone back over to the passenger's seat as he followed the Jeep Wrangler to the café. 

Karen smiled when Nick entered the café, his friends on either side of him, as if protecting him. She also saw a smile light her waitress' face as she saw Nick. Ayden Bennett worked at the café on the weekends for extra cash-not that she needed some, but more because she wanted to prove that she wasn't the spoiled little rich girl. Yes, she drove a BMW, yes, she lived in a mansion, but she didn't degrade those who didn't have the same things she did.

Plus, how cute was it that she liked Nick James?

"Nick!" Karen called, hugging her step-could-be-grandson-in-law. "How are you? I haven't seen you since you got your cast off!"

"I'm good, Karen. Nathan and Haley are keeping me on a short leash."

"Of course. What can I get you three? Burgers and fries?"

A chorus of "yeah!" came from the three teenagers, and Karen laughed, leaving them alone as she went to start their food. Nick was watching Ayden, ignoring the conversations of his friends as he watched the girl, laughing with an older couple, pouring them some more sweet tea.

"-thirty bucks he won't do it." Mac's voice interrupted Nick's thoughts, and he turned back to the blonde-headed guy,

"What?"

"I accept!" Ben exclaimed; Nick twisted his head to look at him, and he shrugged.

"What did you two just bet?"

"Thirty bucks that you won't go ask out Ayden Bennett," Mac answered, throwing out his money. "Now please don't so I can win."

"Go to hell, both of you," Nick groaned, taking both stacks of money, getting up. He took a deep breath, looking back over at his 'friends, sighing in disbelief at their idiocy. "I'll go talk to her, but I'm taking the money. This bet does lean heavily on me, after all." He walked toward Ayden, hoping she didn't suddenly turn and walk back into the kitchen or run into him and spill stuff all over him. "Ayden."

Ayden Bennett tried to keep to the shadows. She tried to pretend like she was half-way normal, with half-way normal parents and a half-way normal lifestyle so that no one suspected anything else. Nick James calling out her name in the middle of the busy lunch shift at Karen's Café while she had a pitcher of sweet tea in her hands definitely did not help her conceal her 

"He-hey, Nick." He grinned, taking the pitcher she nearly dropped. "Thanks…I'm a total klutz, apparently."

"No problem. So, do you have a partner for that AP Euro project?"

"Um, no. I haven't really thought about the project," she admitted, following him to the break room. She forgot that his sister worked at the café.

"Well, Ben was going to be my partner, but he's trying to get a date with Nicole-she's sits in the back-and so he wants to be her partner, which means I'm out of one. You wanna be my partner?"

"Sure. I did kinda have a topic in mind, but maybe I could come over tonight and we can work on it. If that's okay-"

"Sure. Seven sound good? Do you know where I live?" Nick asked nervously, scratching his elbow again. She reached out a hand, stopping him. "Sorry."

"It's fine. And yes, I do know where you live. You forgot that your Nick James and you live with Nathan Scott, who happens to be my father's favorite client," Ayden said, laughing a little. "I gotta get back to work, though. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. Thanks, Ayden." She smiled, watching him walk back to his friends. _Oh, God. I'm going to **Nick's** house._

**----PUSH----**

"Haley, I'm home!" Nick yelled, closing the door to the house. Argos immediately ran to him, jumping on him, licking his face. "Hey, boy. Go sit down." The dog immediately obeyed, going back to the couch. "Hales?"

"Nick, your sister net to the police station," Nathan said as he came down the steps. "And Tess is sleeping, so try and keep your voice down-?"

"Sure. I'm sorry. Why's my sister at the police station?"

"She's filing a restraining order against your parents for you and her. They won't be able to come within a hundred feet of you-even if it is a public place."

"How'd that go?" Nick asked, looking around self-consciously.

"I told them that if they mess with you or if they mess with Haley, I will make them suffer," said Nathan, patting Nick on the shoulder. It amazed the older man how far Nick had come since Haley had shown up at his house months ago. Then, he had been the scared teen that chewed him out for even offering a helping hand. And though he was still fiercely independent, but he accepted the help when needed, and had even taken the small offering of spoilage that Nathan bought him.

"Thank you…for helping us. Who knows what would have happen if you weren't around."

"No problem, Nicky. So, what were you hollering for your sister for?"

"Um, I've got a friend coming over tonight. Not my girlfriend, but she's working with me on my AP Euro project. Her name's Ayden Bennett…"

"Like Frank Bennett, my lawyer?"

"Yeah, like Frank Bennett, your lawyer."

"Okay. What time will she be here?"

"Seven. I was thinking we could order pizza, if that's all right-"

"That's fine with me. I pretty much trust you that you aren't gonna do anything wrong." Nathan smiled, shaking his head. Finally, things were starting to come together.

**Yes, Ayden and Nick will be following a story arc similar to that of Nathan and Haley in season 1, just because I want them to! Heart you all, r & r, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

-1**Disclaimer:**I do not own OTH, nor do i own the lyrics (If Everyone Cared, by Nickelback)

**Rating:** T, because it's me and...my writing.

**Chapter Eleven: Murderer**

"Nick! Pizza's here!" Haley yelled, handing the pizza delivery guy some money. She thanked him, taking the three pizzas inside. Ayden and Nick were in the office, Ayden on the computer, Nick on his laptop. Nathan was packing, preparing for his eight AM flight out to Los Angeles, to face the Lakers tomorrow night.

Nick followed her into the kitchen, grabbing two plates. He put two slices of pizza onto each plate, one set pepperoni, the other cheese. "We should be done in an hour or two."

"Okay. I'm in the living room with Tess if you need anything." Nick nodded, taking both plates back to the office. He smiled at Ayden, handing her the pepperoni pizza. "God, if this was me and Ben, with would have taken us the full two weeks just to do the project."

"Well, it helps that we're both pretty smart in the subject area," Ayden answered, taking a bit of pizza. Once she had swallowed the piece, she turned back to the computer, adding yet another video clip. "So, how'd you come to live at Nathan Scott's house? I mean, I've heard stories that I choose not to believe, but it'd be nice to know the truth-"

"The truth is my sister knew him from high school. Her boyfriend did some pretty awful stuff to her-and me-and we came here. We've lived with Nathan since-despite tries from her old boyfriend and our parents-and everything's been pretty much great. I mean, I used to live in Texas in a trailer with no bed; I now get to live here…who wouldn't want that, you know?" 

"Well, my house isn't exactly this homey. Dad's working all the time, my step-mom is two-bit gold digging whore, and my real mom won't speak to me. God, I live in a monstrous house with a monstrous life," she answered. "I love my Dad, and I wouldn't trade him for the world, but sometimes I can't stand living with that woman. She's horrible and I'm gonna be the one to pick up the pieces." She smiled, laughing a little. "I'm sorry I shouldn't be spouting off like that."

"Don't worry about it, Ayden. I just told you about my parents, feel free to tell about yours'," he replied, petting Argos as he woke up.

"So, what's with the two dogs? I love them, but one of them tried to attack me-"

"They're guard dogs. Argos and Zeus," Nick said, feeling his dog lick his hand. "He's sweet though. And he won't bark at you again."

"Why do you have him?"

"My sister's old boyfriend, TJ, beat me pretty badly; he broke into Nathan's house and beat me. So Nathan got me and his daughter guard dogs."

"That was nice of him."

"That's just Nathan. He loves my sister, which means I'm part of the family, too. But, you know, that's a nice feeling." She smiled at him, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. An awkward silence hung in the air, each looking away, wondering what to say.

"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow night?" Nick's voice was small, almost full of doubt that she'd actually go.

"Sure," Ayden said, making him look at her in wonderment. "I've wanted to go out with you since we met. I was too scared to ask."

"Really? You aren't just lying to me to make me feel better?"

"No, I'm not." She leaned over, placing a small kiss on his lips. 

**----PUSH----**

_"That was hilarious!" Ayden let out a laugh as Nick wrapped an arm around her waist. "I've never seen Annie get that red before! Oh, God-and when Tyler threw that drink on her, I totally thought she was going to bch-slap him."_

"I've got to say, I've never had that much fun at a bowling alley before," Nick admitted, grinning from ear to ear. "And I think I'd seriously laugh my head off if she bch-slapped him."

"Thank you for being such a fun date. I haven't had one in awhile," Ayden whispered, looking up at him. He smiled back at her, a sweet smile, and leaned down to capture her lips, twining their hands together. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers'. "Wow."

"Wow good or wow bad?" Nick wondered, a small smile still on his face. She gave him another kiss, smiling back.

"Definitely wow good. Wow great, in fact."

"What is this?" Both teens looked up, Nick shielding Ayden from his father.

"What do you want? You can't get near me. The restraining order says so," Nick whispered, feeling Ayden's hand on his back.

"I don't your sister or her little punk-$$ boyfriend around, so I don't think that little piece of paper matters to much, Nicholas. And see, you've made me angry-very angry. And you need to pay for it." Nick froze when he saw the glint of the silver steel of the gun, raising to meet with his forehead.

"Ayden, run!" Nick yelled, pushing the girl forward, hearing the explosion of the gun behind him, feeling the bullet graze his temple, slamming into the wall of the building beside him. "The house is two blocks up-keep running. Pass code for the gate is 4237. Get in the house, okay? I'll be there soon." Ayden nodded, slipping down a side street as Nick kept running, glancing behind him, where his father had raised the gun again. He stopped suddenly, sliding back, making impact with his father's ankles. He got up quickly, hearing a bullet zip by him, landing in the wall of yet another store. Nick turned a corner, looking around. .

Ayden opened the gate to the Scott mansion, feeling her breath go out as she reached the door, banging on it. 

Haley pulled the door open, anger written over her face. It softened as she realized who it was. "Ayden? What's wrong?"

"Man…there's a guy…chasing Nick…restraining…restraining order," Ayden got out, breaths coming out in rasps.

"A guy? Tall guy?" Ayden nodded, and Haley brought her into the house, closing the door. "Ayden, go upstairs, to Tess' room. Stay with her no matter right. Zeus and Argos are both up there-send Argos downstairs." Ayden kept nodding, following Haley as she grabbed the phone, dialing 9-1-1.

Nick wished his cell phone hadn't died when he tried to call 9-1-1. He needed to figure out where the hell in Tree Hill he was so he could get back to the house. His head was pounding, and he knew there was blood down the side of his head from the graze. He stepped out on the street, looking for a road sign.

The bullet nicked his side as it whirled by, and he glanced up, letting out a breath as he saw his father, crazed, eyes glazed over, gun pointing at his forehead now.

He switched directions, heading down the street, looking at the names on the shops, quickly realizing he was near Karen's Café. He turned again, banging on her door. "Karen! Karen, open the door! Karen!" he yelled, pushing and pulling on the door. The elder woman came up, her son behind her, and she unlatched the door, opening it for him.

"Nick, what's wr-" she stopped as the door bell rang again, a man coming in. "I'm sorry, we're closed.

"Not for me, it isn't," the man answered, looking at Nick maliciously. "Got you right where I want you-"

"You know how sick you sound?" Lucas voiced from behind them all, making Jake turn to look at him. Nick saw his opportunity, and he took it, slamming his body into his father. They twisted, Nick going through the glass pane of the window first. As his body went through, he twisted around, so he'd land on top. He heard his father's head slam against the concrete of the sidewalk, the gun sliding into the street. Lucas ran out the front door, stopping by Nick as his breathing became erratic. "Nick…Nicky, get off of him," Lucas said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

"I think he's dead," Nick commented, his tone dry, reaching out a hand, lacerations glittering with pieces of glass, touching the blood pulling by his father's head. "I killed him. Lucas-"

"Sssh, Nicky. C'mon, get off of him," Lucas soothed the boy, gently pulling him off of the body. He led him back into the café, sitting him in a chair. "My mom's called 9-1-1. Just stay here."

"I killed my father," Nick murmured, tears rolling down his face. "I killed-"

"Nicky, no! Stop that! He was going to kill you!" Lucas exclaimed, seeing the red and blue flashing lights of the police cars as they approached the café.

Nick closed his eyes, feeling the hot tears, even as the wind whipped around the building. He gasped, looking back at the body, shivering. "I killed my father," he whispered, feeling his breath speed up.

"Nick! Nicky! Stop-calm down! Nick, breathe! This is not your fa-"

"Yes it is. It's all my fault."

**----PUSH----**

Haley ran into the ER, looking around for Karen and Lucas. Ayden was behind her, Tess in her arms. She searched frantically, just wanting to make sure her brother was safe and okay.

"Haley!" Lucas said, grabbing her forearm. "Hey. He's fine. Peyton's in with him right now; she's having to remove glass from his hands and his arms, and she said she's probably going to have to hold him for a psych consult. He's freaked, Hales. He thinks it's his fault his father's dead-"

"Jake's dead?"

"His head slammed into the sidewalk; he's dead," Lucas confirmed as Peyton came out. "Peyt!"

"Guys, he's been through hell and back," she started, looking at Haley. "He's got 17 stitches in his head, 20 in his side, 20 altogether with the rest of the cuts, multiple bruises…and I admitted him into the hospital. He's…I don't know…he's…"

"How long does he have to stay?"

"72 hours for a psych eval. He might have to stay longer-plus, the cops need to talk to him," Peyton informed them, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "But not now. I had to sedate him and restrain him. He's needs some rest to help him clear his mind. What exactly happened?"

"His father is a jackass, and went after him," Haley snapped, looking at the clock. "Where is he?"

"Room 212. I'll take you up there." 

Haley's eyes opened, startled, sitting up in her and Nathan's bed. She glanced at the time-2:14-and sighed, climbing out of the bed. She put on her robe, leaving her room, down the hall to Nick's room. He was sleeping, an open bottle of pills on his bedside table. She cringed when she saw the black stitches on his forehead. He had been home for a day now, but he hadn't really talked to anyone. The police had cleared him of any wrong doing-protecting yourself wasn't a crime-and had arrested their mother as an accomplice.

And yet Nick still wasn't talking.

Peyton had told her his psych eval had been rough: Nick was uncooperative, depressed, and rebellious. Peyton had to order him restrained and sedated every night, and Haley cringed as she still saw the angry red marks on Nick's wrists; she couldn't help but think that she could have prevented this. She could have prevented the stitches on the side of his head and the bruises on his face; she could have prevented the glass that wedged itself in his hands and arms and neck; she could have prevented him killing his own father.

She could have prevented all that.

She closed the door, returning to her own room after a quick glance at Tess, who had been a huge part of helping Nick recover the little bit that he had. He was still so jumpy and skittish and he refused to look people in the eye when talking to them. It was as if he had regressed back to the time when he lived with his parents.

Her vibrating cell phone caught her attention, and she hurried to answer it. "Hello?"

"Haley? What are you doing up at 2:30 in the morning?"

"Nathan, why are you calling me at 2:30 in the morning?" She countered.

"I was going to leave you a message. We won are game 95-55. I scored 24 points, 12 assists," he breathed out, clearly excited, and clearly just done showering or getting back to his hotel room. "How's Nick?"

"Same as he's been since Sunday. Pretty shaken up, pretty…miserable. He keeps blaming himself, calling himself a murderer-and that's when he's talking to me, which is hardly ever," Haley responded, sitting on her bed. "I don't know what to do. I'm worried about him, Nathan."

"I'll be home tomorrow night-six or so. I have a game on Saturday, but it's home, so I thought maybe you all could come out. I'll talk to Nick when I get home. Go to sleep, honey-you've had a hard week. I love you."

"I love you, too, Nathan," she whispered, turning off her phone. She tossed it on the nightstand, sliding back in the bed, hoping she'd get some sleep.

**----PUSH----**

_"Nick, can you tell me what happened last night?" a cop asked the teen, sitting across from him in the cafeteria. The boy, not really a boy, but looking more like a scared, fragile, broken boy, didn't look up, churning the soup around in the bowl. They had to shave off Nick's hair, and he was violently pale. "Nick, this is not your fault."_

Silence.

"Nick, please, tell me what happened. I can't help you if you won't tell me what happened," the cop said, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder. "You aren't in trouble, Nick. This was self defense-"

"I'm a murderer," Nick whispered, not looking up from his soup. "I'm just like him."

Nick's eyes slammed open, awaking from the nightmare of that night and the nights following. He felt his heart pounding in his chest-fast, faster as he realized where he was. He sat up, looking at the bottle of sleeping pills-250 mg capsules, two before he went to bed. It helped with the nightmares most nights. 

He had missed a week of school, but Haley had gotten his work from school so that he wouldn't be too far behind. He had also missed basketball tryouts, but Whitey told him not to worry about it, that he had already made the team.

He had heard Haley open his door, checking in on him as she had done during the night, and throughout his afternoon nap. Nathan had called him earlier; he hadn't answered his phone, though; he hadn't answered it when Ayden called, either. He didn't want to talk to anyone-why did they want to talk to him? He was a monster-he killed his own father, for God's sake.

He picked up his cell phone, checking his voice mail. He deleted Nathan's before it started, and was about to delete Ayden's when her soft voice come on over the speaker. _"Um…Nick? Hey, this is Ayden, if you couldn't tell. I had a great time on our date, and I just wanted you to know that. I think-I wanted to thank you for protecting me. And I don't think you're a criminal, or evil, or anything like that, Nick. I think you're a hero-my hero. And, if you're up to it, I'd like a second date with you. So call me, please; at least let me know you're all right."_ He smiled, closing his phone. Maybe there was something that he believed in, something that believed in him as well.

**----PUSH----**

Ayden frowned as something hit her window, waking her up. The rain had picked up since she went to bed, so she wouldn't be surprised if a branch of the old oak tree out front had snapped and hit the window on it's way down. She climbed out of bed, going to the window. The cold seeped in through the sill, and she grabbed her Tree Hill High hoodie, putting it on.

A figure was standing outside. It was silhouetted in the darkness of the night, but she could make out the eyes. Those were the eyes of the guy she was mad about-Nick James. "Nick?" she called, going to her balcony doors, opening them. She took the steps down to the grounds, well aware of the rain seeping through her clothes. "Nick, what are you doing out here? It's pouring!"

"How can you think I'm not a monster?" Nick asked, stepping up close to her, his eyes boring into hers'. "I killed my father-"

"He would have killed you, Nick! And he wouldn't have cared! At least you have th dignity to feel remorse for your actions, because he sure as hell wouldn't!" She exclaimed, taking his hand, kissing his palm, looking back up at him.

"I killed someone, Ayden! Killed them! I'm not every going to be able to forgive myself-I'm not going to be able to forget, eith-"

She kissed him, as hard and passionate as she could, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You are so much more than that, Nicholas James. You are kind, considerate, sweet, and about a million other things I can't name-the least of them being a murderer." Her hand trailed down his cheek, feeling him lean into her open palm. "You are the best thing in my life. And you are so much more a man than a murderer."

_From underneath the trees, we watch the sky  
Confusing stars for satellites  
I never dreamed that you'd be mine  
But here we are, we're here tonight_

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey! Sorry for the long wait...i've been uber busy. But, here's chapter twelve!**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own OTH

**Rating:** T, because it's me and...my writing.

**Chapter Twelve: Cry**

Nick glanced up from his computer, smirking at Ayden from over the top of it. She looked at him, her eyes widening when she saw that smirk. "No!" She mouthed at him, rolling her eyes toward the teacher. He stood up, going towards the row of shelves with books on them, past them all to the back room, that stored the magazine clippings. He heard the door open, and he grabbed Ayden's hand, pulling her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her. She smiled against his lips, pulling away from him. "I've never made out in the magazine closet," she confessed, putting her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

"If it makes you feel better, neither have I," he whispered back, kissing her forehead. "You're leaving tomorrow."

"I know. But I'll be back in a week, Nick," she replied, putting her head on his chest. "I'm gonna miss you."

"And you don't think I'm going to miss you, Ayden? You've been my rock for the past couple of weeks. What the hell am I going to do while you're gone?"

"You are going to have fun, Nick; go crazy for once. You don't have to be cool, calm and collected all the time," she said, intertwining their hands. "Go to that Christmas party with your sister, go to an after party after a game; just have fun. You deserve it."

"What'd I do to deserve you?" he asked huskily, leaning in to kiss her again. He could feel that she was pretty terrified of getting caught making out in the magazine closet, but he was willing to take the risk. These days, she was the person he most confided in, for the simple reason that she wouldn't judge anything he said.

"You did everything right, Nick. That's why you deserve me. The real question might be why I deserve you," she responded, kissing him again. "C'mon before our teacher starts getting suspicious."

"You're damn mean, you know that?" Nick commented, taking her hand as she pulled them out of the room, back to the stacks, giving him one last kiss before going back to her computer. He shook his head, going to his own computer. He had a game tonight that could put them in the top seed for the tournament starting next Monday. It made him nervous to think about the game. This would be the first time Nathan would actually be coming for a game, and he was worried Nathan would criticize his skills.

**----PUSH----**

"Nathan! Over here!" Haley called, smiling at her boyfriend as she patted the seat next to her, in between her and Mac's mother, Sherry. "Sherry, this is Nathan Scott, my boyfriend. I babysit his daughter, Tess."

"Hi, Nathan," Sherry said, shaking Nathan's hand. "This is the first time you've been here, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah. Unfortunately, I pretty busy this time of the year. I'd love to come and watch more, but I'm away a lot," Nathan explained, looking at Nick, who had just dunked the ball and was now bumping fists with Mac.

"I know who you are, Mr. Scott. Mac talks about you all the time; apparently, so does Nick," Sherry replied, turning back to the team as they gathered around Whitey for their pregame talk.

On the court, Nick took a deep breath, glancing at his arm, wrapped tight in it's black brace. He twisted his head, hearing it pop, turning to glance at his sister int eh stands, surprised to see Nathan sitting there. He waved, turning back to Whitey. "Boys, this is our time. Our time to be glory. Just go out there and show them the reason why we're the best. Nick, Mac, Ben, they're gunning for you tonight. Protect yourselves, protect your teammates, remember, there is no I team, we don't play selfish, show-off basketball. I know you have it in you, just show everyone in here why we are the champs!"

The team nodded, putting their hands in. "One, two three…RAVENS!" the yelled in unison. Nick sighed, sharing a 'man hug' with Ben and Mac as he set up for the tip-off.

Two minutes from the end of the game, Whitey called their last time out. Nick was gasping for breath; he had played the whole game, non stop, and had taken more than one assualt from the opposing team. His arm felt like it was on fire, his shoulder was bruised, his ribs bruised, but he felt so good.

"Nick, drink!" Ben called, throwing him the water. He took two big gulps, eyes finding his sister and Nathan, who both smiled at him. And Ayden, sitting with her father, eyes on him.

"Boys, you're doing a great job out there. Hold out a little longer," Whitey encouraged, patting Nick on the shoulder. "Nick, you need to go out?"

"No. I'm good. These guys are…bastards," Nick whispered, rubbing the brace. "They're like, stampeding me."

"Okay, so, we'll play keep away. Not keep away from the other team, keep away from Nick. You see an opening, take it; this is all you now. Go on out there and finish this!"

From the stands, Nathan remembered when he was the one on the court at Whitey Durham Field House, anxious for a win, ready for the night to be over. He intertwined his hand with Haley's, smiling at her. "Remember when we were the ones out there?" he asked, watching her shake her head in laughter. "What?"

"I remember being a cheerleader…for about a year. You know I totally sucked at that," she said, looking back at Nick.

"You were good at the splits and the handshakes and the words…just not all at once."

"I think that means I shouldn't have been doing it. Damn Brooke for getting me involved."

"Oh, come on! Remember the after party; I guess I was drunk or something and I decided to try to feel you up…that was a mistake I'll never make again," Nathan commented, feeling her rest her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead, smiling wide when Nick dunked the ball again.

**----PUSH----**

The ring glittered in the sunlight as Nathan turned it over and over in his hands. It was 4.2 carats, a 2.2 carat princess cut diamond surrounded by 2 carats worth of diamonds encrusted in the platinum band. "How much is this ring?" he asked the jeweler, glancing at his watch. He wanted to talk to Nick, but he had practice, so he was going to pick him up from practice. Since that fateful Sunday, Nick was less the vivacious and gregarious teen from before, instead more reserved and quiet. He talked with Ayden, Nathan knew, but he wasn't sure if he had even mentioned that Sunday. Instead of drowning in the sorrows of the past, he threw himself into the future, playing ball, his girlfriend, his grades.

But he still wasn't normal.

"Um, Mr. Scott?" Nathan looked up at the jeweler, apologizing under his breath. "It's 25."

"Okay. I'll take it. Can I take it today?"

"Yes, sir. Do you want to charge it all or just the minimum-"

"Charge all of it," Nathan answered, looking down at his cell phone. 4:30. Nick didn't get out of practice until 5:30, more than enough time for Nathan to get back home and get the truck. He'd let Nick drive, for the simple fact that Nick loved the truck. He took the ring, wondering if she'd like it. If not, they could come back and get another one.

When he got home, he let the dogs out, checking his messages before changing. He put the velvet box in his shorts, grabbing the keys to the truck and the leash for Argos and Zeus. He figured he'd wait for Nick, so that way Nick couldn't make some excuse about going with Mac and Ben somewhere. Lately, Nick had been making a lot of excuses not to stay home with his family, probably to get out of the conservation Nathan and Haley wanted to have about Nick's dad.

At 5:45, Nick came out of the gym, freshly showered, his big gym bag on his shoulder. He stopped when he saw Nathan, looking around for someone to ask to take him home. "Nick, c'mon!" Nathan yelled, getting out. "I'll even let you drive." Nick hesitated before walking forward, grabbing the keys out of Nathan's hand, throwing his bag in between Argos and Zeus.

"I don't want to talk." He looked out the side mirror as he reversed the truck out of the parking spot. "You know I don't want to talk."

"I know, buddy. So, we won't talk about that. You know Haley and I are here when you actually wish to discuss what happened. But, until then, I need to ask you something else."

Nick turned to look at Nathan questioningly, then back at the road. "Well, talk, I guess."

"I want your permission to ask your sister to marry me, Nick. I want your sister to marry me. I've…I've got a ring and everything, and I just need your permission," Nathan whispered. "I really want to marry Haley, Nick; I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And I really need you to say yes."

"What? Why are you-"

"I've heard it's good luck to ask the family for permission."

"Well, you have mine, Nathan. You knew that you would. After all you've done for me, I can't deny you this."

**----PUSH----**

It snowed Christmas Eve day, adding the little touch of Winter Wonderland Haley wanted. She moved around the kitchen, already starting on the preparations for the Christmas dinner that they were having. Lucas and Peyton would be there, as would Dan and Karen and Deb, fresh out of rehab.

"Hawey, can I open pwwesent now?" Tess asked, sitting at the island as Haley gave her breakfast.

"No. Was Nick up?" Tess shook her head, no, starting with her pancakes. Haley sighed, wiping her hands with a washcloth, going up the stairs. She knocked on the door to Nick's room, opening it. He was up, working on his computer on a paper that was due as soon as he got back. "Nick? It's seven in the morning. Why are you…?"

"I couldn't sleep. I kept having nightmares. So I decided to work on my paper," Nick explained, standing up. "Merry Christmas, Hales."

"You're still having nightmares?"

"I think I'll be having nightmares for awhile," he answered, giving her a half-hearted smile. "But, we can refill my sleeping pills Tuesday right? I'll sleep good then, I bet you."

"But you shouldn't need to rely on those pills, Nicky. Maybe you should go to that psy-"

"No. I'm not going to go, Haley. I already told you that. That is not fun! They ask me questions and they're questions I don't want to answer yet! I don't need that psycho-babble bull shit! I have enough problems already!" Nick yelled, eyes fired with anger.

"Okay, Nick, okay. I never said I was going to force you to go. I just suggested it. Please…let's just enjoy our Christmas," she begged, touching his shoulder. "This is your first Christmas that will be good. Let's just enjoy it."

He nodded, sitting back at the desk, turning to his paper, yet again. Nick always hated Christmas. It was an excuse for his parents to drink, TJ to tell him what a worthless piece of trash he really was. So, he preferred not to celebrate it.

"Nick? I made breakfast," Haley said, wondering if he would come downstairs with her. "I made pancakes."

"Well, good for you. I'm not hungry." Back to the surly attitude, Haley saw.

"Nicholas, stop being so damn angry with me! I was trying to help you! And you…you just sit here and don't let anyone in and don't let anyone freaking help! I'm tired of it, Nick-I'm so freaking tired! I need you to talk to me, to yell at me, to scream at me, blame me…but you can't go around pretending nothing happened! So get dressed, dammit, and come downstairs and have breakfast!" Haley slammed his door on the way out, as if emphasizing her point, and Nick looked at the wood. He didn't want her to be angry at him…especially not on a day she enjoyed so much. He couldn't helped it; he wanted the whole world to forget.

He got up, giving a last glance to his paper, grabbing some clothes to change into as he padded along to his bathroom. He still had a faint scar on his forehead, one which wouldn't be going away anytime soon. He sighed, pulling off his white t-shirt. He remembered when his chest had been nothing but black and blue bruises, after TJ's attack.

He slipped on his dark blue long sleeved t-shirt, pushing up the sleeves a little before slipping on a pair of khakis. He ran some gel through his hair, still short from the shave he had had a month ago. His crystal blue eyes stared back at him in the mirror, and he finally noticed how haggard he looked.

"Uh…Nick, can I come in?" He rolled his eyes, coming out of the bathroom. Nathan stood awkwardly in the room.

"If it's coming from Haley, tell her I'm gonna be downstairs in a minute."

"It's not. Well, kinda, but…she told me about what you two were arguing about. So I thought I'd give you a chance to talk to me without me saying anything. I want this to be a nice Christmas, Nick; I'll give anything for this to be a nice Christmas; however, with you acting like this, it won't be."

"There. Is. Nothing. To. Tell." Nick forced each word out, glaring at the older man. "I've told you all I don't want to talk about it! Why can't you just leave it be?"

"What happened that night, Nicky? What happened that made you so skittish? Is it the fact that you were being chased? That your father nearly killed you? That-"

"That I murdered my father?" Nick offered, his face hard. "Is that what you wanted to here? I MURDERED MY FATHER! I'M A FREAKING MURDERER AND YOU ARE ALL TRYING TO TREAT ME LIKE I WAS THE VICTIM! I'm not!" The ferocity in Nick's voice made Nathan blink. "I'M NOT INNOCENT! I'M A DAMNED MURDERER THAT'S GETTING OFF!"

Nathan reached out, jerking Nick to him, hugging him tight. "It's not your fault, Nick. This isn't your fault," he whispered into Nick's ear, feeling the boy's body start to build up sobs. "Nicky, this isn't your fault. You _were_ the victim; you shouldn't have had to go through any of this. Your father's death was an accident; you didn't cause that. This isn't your fault." Nick sobbed into Nathan's shoulder, letting all his emotion flood out. This whole experience-he didn't want to face it again. "Ssssh, Nicky. Sssh, buddy. It's okay. I'm here for you. We're all here for you."

"I'm sorry…I'm sor-"

"You don't have to be sorry, Nicky. You didn't do anything wrong. You protected Ayden, you protected Lucas and Karen….you did nothing wrong," Nathan reassured Nick, rubbing his back as he cried. He shook his head, glad that son-of-a-bitch was dead. Had he not been, Nathan would have killed him himself.

**So endeth the drama. next chapter is xmas and the proposal! If you want a preview of the prologue for my new story (when it's done) email me or include it in your review**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here is Chapter Thirteen. There is only one chapter left, and an epilogue. After the epilogue, I will post a small preview of 'in the end', my new story. Thank you all for so many replies; you have no clue how much they mean to me.**

**Disclaimer:** me? Oth? No owneth. Sadly :(...oh well, I guess it's okay.

**rating:** T. What else do you think it'd be?

**Chapter Thirteen: A Letter From Our Hearts**

Nathan rubbed Nick's back, even after the boy had fallen asleep. He knew his shirt was wet from Nick's salty tears, and that he should go change, but it was too important to him to be there with Nick, to keep contact with him. He stood, taking Nick with him, depositing him on his bed. "Sleep tight, Nicky," he whispered, leaving the boy's room.

He joined his daughter and girlfriend at the island, giving Haley a soft smile. "He'll be fine, Hales. He's strong."

"Where is he?"

"He went back to sleep. He's really tired so, maybe we should just let him sleep for awhile. I'll make sure his pills get dropped off at the drug store before my flight leaves for Atlanta on Tuesday, okay?"

"Oh, god, I forgot you had a game Tuesday night," she said, laughing. She was trying hard not to race upstairs to check on Nicky, to make sure everything was okay. "So, your parents…"

"If anything goes badly, at least it'll be hilarious to watch." Her smile widened, and she shook her head, making a comment about being a four-year-old trapped in a twenty-four-year-old body. "C'mon, Hales; my mom's been out of rehab, she seemed good when I talked to her…maybe they'll both behave tonight, for the sake of us."

"If your parents start anything, I'm going to kick them out." Nathan smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"There's my assertive woman," he whispered in her ear, kissing it. "I love you."

"I love you too, Nathan Scott. Now, you have something to go do." He looked at her knowingly, kissing her forehead, then her nose. "He's going to love this."

"I hope so. I'm gonna take Tess with me; we'll be back at like two or so," Nathan told Haley, standing up. He gave her one last kiss before whisking his daughter out of the room, hearing her laugh. Haley gathered the plates, sticking them in the dishwasher, wondering what the day would have in store for her.

**----PUSH----**

"Afternoon, Nathan," Lucas greeted his brother warmly, hugging him tight. Nathan laughed, clapping his brother's back. "I see you've had that woman of yours' in the kitchen all day."

"Hey, we needed edible food and I hate to break it to you, but neither me nor you can cook," Nathan joked, hugging Peyton as she came over. "It's nice to see you, Peyt. And out of the office. And not Nick's doctor."

"You too, Nathan. I've forgotten how huge this house of yours' is. I do remember Nick telling me once that he kept getting lost the first couple of weeks he was here." Nick smirked, turning to the sixteen-year-old, who shrugged, looking down at the ground. Argos sat by his side patiently, waiting to be let out. Peyton hugged her former patient tight, kissing his cheek. "You look good, Nick."

"Thanks. I'm doing this thing where I'm taking care of myself and I'm you know staying out of trouble and everything," Nick answered, laughing.

"How's your arm?"

"Halfway decent. Scars are pretty noticeable, it hurts like a bitch when it rains and gets cold, but other than that, good. Really good, in fact. Dr. Amherst is supposed to be stopping by."

"Well, make sure you tell him you won MVP of that game on Friday. Pretty amazing."

"I try."

"Peyt, leave the poor boy alone," Lucas cut in, coming over to shake hands with Nick. "You been taking care of yourself, kiddo?" Nick nodded slowly, smiling at his sister and Nathan. "That's good. You and your friends still owe Nathan and me a match."

"I'll make sure I tell them," Nick promised, going into the kitchen, letting the two Great Danes out. He followed the dogs out, to the bench among the grove of trees. He sat on the bench, running his hands over his arms, his thin shirt not protecting from the cold wind swirling around him.

He reached in the pocket of his khakis, taking out the crumpled letter he had received two days before. He smoothed out the envelope, looking at the address.

_Women's Correctional Facility  
10604 Justice Avenue  
Raleigh, NC 27606_

He opened the envelope carefully, looking at the scrawled writing, almost immediately recognizing it. He bit his bottom lip, opening the letter.

_Dear Nick,_

_Sitting in a cell twenty hours a day gives you some perspective on life, kiddo. You realize things you were wrong about, and things that you should never have done. It's amazing that it's taken me seventeen years to realize how wrong I've done you, but I've learned that, my dear Nicky._

_My roommate is in here for murdering her three children. That's right-she murdered them. I almost threw up when I heard, but then I realized that I wasn't so different, because in your life, all I've done is help enable your father to slowly try and kill you. I know that I'm a horrid mother._

_I just wish I could apologize to you face to face, to tell you how truly sorry I am that I was never the person you wanted me to be. I wish I could tell you how proud I am to see that you've grown up into a strong, independent young man, but most of all, I wish I could be there to see you and the rest of your life. I wish I could be the one to cheer at your graduation, to cry at your wedding, to spoil your kids. But I know I can't, and I know you wouldn't want me to._

_And, I know that Haley should be the one to do those things. She deserves it, and you deserve someone like that to be there at all those important dates._

_My trial is February 1st, and I know you've probably already been called on by the prosecution to testify. I'm pleading guilty, Nick; I'm gonna get my time, and get better-not only for you and Haley, but myself as well._

_Maybe, one day, you'll right me back. Maybe we'll be able to see each other without you wanting me to die._

_And maybe we should just take it one step at a time. If don't write back, that's fine. I know I've hurt in more ways than any teenager should have to go through, so I'll understand if you don't write back._

_Despite everything, I love, Nick; just remember that. I love you, and I'm doing this for you._

_Love always,  
Mom_

Nick let out his breath, setting the letter beside him. He rubbed his hands together, creating some sort of warmth.

His mom's letter reeked of pleas for forgiveness, of remorse that he wasn't so sure she deserved. He remembered when he was ten, and his mother was locked away for possession, and she had written a similar letter, begging him to understand that she had a problem, that she was trying to get herself help.

That had been a load of bullshit then. She had come home six weeks later, gotten drunk, and let his father wail on him so much that they had to move because the people at the hospital got suspicious.

"Nick, you're worrying your sister again." The teen looked up, shaking his head as he smiled at Nathan, who was holding out his thickest jacket. "What are you doing out here in the cold when the house is perfectly warm?"

Nick hesitated a second before handing Nathan the letter, letting the man sit beside him as he read it. "It's probably a bunch of bull," Nick commented, slipping on the jacket. "She's written one similar to it before."

"Really?" Nathan wondered, putting the letter down. "Maybe she's being sincere, Nick. She's alone, in jail, without her kids, and it's Christmas. She has a lot to regret."

"I know. I'm just not sure I'm ready to forgive her."

"Well, is it worth getting yourself sick out here in the cold?" Nathan asked, rubbing the back of Nick's neck soothingly. "C'mon, I need to talk to you about the proposal I have planned."

**----PUSH----**

Nathan took a deep breath as he added the final touched to the hot chocolate he was making for his daughter and Nick, wondering if Haley had had any luck getting the two up. It was Christmas morning, and though the tree was surrounded by presents and gifts from 'Santa Claus', neither of the two kids were downstairs enjoy the festivities. Last night's dinner went smoothly, without an outburst or action; Deb stayed pleasant the whole time, especially with Dan and Nathan, and left early; the rest partied on late into the night.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Tess yelled, bounding down the steps in her little Christmas robe, Zeus following. "Daddy! It's Cwismas, Daddy! Pweesants!"

"We need to wait on Nick, Tess. Look, I made some of our special hot chocolate," Nathan whispered in the girl's ear, hearing her squeal in delight. She loved his hot chocolate, mostly for the fact that he added a sprinkle of cinnamon in it. Nathan kissed his daughter's forehead before handing her the steaming cup. "I love you, Tess."

"I wuv you, daddy," she replied into his ear, taking a big slurp of her drink. He smiled, setting her down on the couch as he heard Nick padding down the hallways upstairs, presumably to the steps leading to the hall. Tess sat on the floor next to her pile of presents, finishing her hot chocolate as she waited, her eyes lit in anticipation.

"Sorry it took so long, babe. Nick was a little harder to get up," Haley explained as she came down the stairs, Nick following behind hesitantly, in a grey t-shirt and plaid blue and black pajama bottoms, a black robe over it all.

"That's okay. Here, kiddo-this will wake you up. Full of sugar and all that sweet stuff," Nathan explained, handing the teen a cup. The boy downed it quickly before going to the kitchen to start some coffee. He sat where Nathan indicated, in front of a pile of presents. He looked around questioningly, finally getting the message when Haley nodded to Tess, who was ripping off the wrapping to a present from the top of her gigantic stack. She squealed in delight at the huge teddy bear, nearly twice her size, squeezing it tightly around the neck.

After Tess had gone through three or four presents, Haley turned to Nick, asking "are you going to open anything" poignantly. Nick reached out, grabbing the small packaged that topped the mountain, carefully tearing the wrapping. He smiled as he found the gift card to the music store that he loved. He looked back at the wrapping. _To: Nick , From: Dan_. "Thank your father for me."

"I will. Do you like it?" Nick nodded, his smile widening. "Good. Dad was really anxious about it cause you had mentioned the store once or twice when we went up to the office for lunch, but you hadn't said anything else about it."

"I love this store. They've got the best records and stuff; I've bought a couple, but I need to find a record player," Nick admitted.

"Daddy! Wook at what Nick got me!" Tess yelled excitedly, thrusting the simple music box at her father. She opened it, and the small tune played out. Inside, there was a couple of necklaces, some play rings. She hugged Nick tight. "Tank you, Nick!"

"No problem, Tessables." She went back to her pile, and he slowly made his way through his stuff, smiling at each piece of clothing, each CD, each DVD he got. He was finally at the last of his many packages, two sitting in front of him, one from his sister, one from her boyfriend. He picked up the smaller package, from Nathan, unwrapping it carefully. "Oh. My-oh, God. Thank you. Thank you so much, Nathan." The Ipod fell into the boys lap. "Wow."

"I hoped you'd like it," Nathan said, giving the boy a smile. "Now go on…open the one from your sister." Nathan gave Haley a wry smile as Nick tore at the paper. He had to stop when he saw the APPLE across the box.

"A…A….laptop?"

"Yes, a laptop. And don't you say that you don't need it-you did. That computer is ancient. And I know an Imac is a good computer."

"Well, thank you," he whispered, looking at her last present. "Are you going to open that?"

She smirked at him, ripping the present open. Inside, a box fell out, opening, a smooth black stone falling out. She picked it up, glancing at Nathan questioningly. "Go see Tess for your next present," she read outloud, setting the smooth stone down. She walked over to the girl, who handed Haley another wrapped box. Inside sat yet another stone, a diamond on the top of it, 'Will' also written on it. Tess also handed Haley a piece of paper. "Go see Zeus for your next present." She gave the paper back to Tess, looking at Nathan. "What is going on? Why-"

"Just keep going, Haley. Don't ask questions until it's done." Haley nodded, hesitantly heading over to the slumbering Great Dane, who had a small box taped to his collar. She pulled it off, popping off the top, another rock staring up at her, the word 'you' engraved on it. There was a message on the top, and she headed to Nick, who smiled at her, handing her another box. She unwrapped it, gasping in surprise as the word 'Marry' appeared before her.

"Oh. Nat-"

"Hales, I think you're supposed to go to Argos last," Nick whispered, watching her hands shake as she approached the other dog, who held the box in it's mouth. With those same trembling hands, she opened the box, tears falling from her eyes as the word 'me' came into view. She turned to Nathan, rolling a ring around in his palm.

"I…I wanted to come up with a grand speech to tell you how much I love you and how much I wanted you to be my wife so that we could share so many happy memories-but I think you know that I'm not one for speeches like that. So, will you marry me, Haley James?" he asked, looking up at her with his big, baby blue eyes.

"Nathan…!" she exclaimed, running over to tackle him with a hug. "Of course…of course I'll marry you, Nathan!"

He smiled back, hugging her tight, kissing her as her tears ran. They broke apart, nuzzling one another's nose, as Nathan put the ring on her finger. "I love you, Haley James. I love you so much. Thank you."

"You, thank me? I was the one, Nathan…I was the one that needed you. I needed you to push me, pull me, to find me. So…thank you."

**----PUSH----**

Nick helped Tess haul all her stuff to her room, watching her dance around excitingly. "I'm getting a mother! I'm getting a mother! I'm getting a mother! I'm getting a mother!" She screamed, getting on her bed, jumping on it. "Nick, Hawey's gonna be my moder!"

He smiled, retreating back to his room, where Nathan was working on his computer, setting it up for him. "Do you two know when you're getting married?" he asked, sitting on his bed.

"Hopefully this summer. It'll be after my season is over," Nathan replied. "Are you happy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am happy for you, Nathan. I was just thinking about Tess. She's dancing all around, excited, and I was wondering…what was her mother like? Why was she so excited-?"

"Tess never got to know her real mother. She was only a couple hours old when her mom left us-to go somewhere else…I'm not really sure where," Nathan answered. "Why?"

"Nothing…I was just wondering."

Later that night, as Haley helped Nathan pack for his trip and Tess lay sleeping in her bed, Nick pulled out a piece of paper, staring at the open letter before placing his pen on his paper._ Dear Mom…_ he began, a small smile on his face as he wrote.

**read and review. Happy president's day!**


	14. Chapter 14

-1**LAST CHAPTER HERE!!!! THIS THING TOOK A LONG WHILE TO WRITE, SO I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT!!! Thank you for sam for pointing out my consistancy error...  
**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OTH or character from the show. However, I **do** own the song in this chapter.

**rating**: that would be a big fat T.

**Chapter Fourteen: I'll Love You Forever **

"Earlier tonight, hundred began arriving for the summer wedding of basketball superstar Nathan Scott and his fiancée of six months, Haley James. The two will wed tomorrow at the Summer Gardens outside Tree Hill, North Carolina, and near the mansion the two share with Nathan's four-year-old daughter, Tess, and Haley's seventeen year-old brother, Nicholas. Though over three hundred guest have been invited to the 8:00 pm nuptials, over five hundred people are expected at the reception. Among the guests are many of Nathan's teammates from Charlotte, coaches and teammates from college and high school, and many of the stars who have met both Nathan and Haley along their way down the aisle. The best man is reported to be Nathan's older brother, Lucas. There is a no-fly zone over the gardens and the surrounding area to prevent any press from snapping photos of the couple, and The Gardens, as it's commonly known, is surrounded by a twelve-foot tall wall of bushes, as well as a wrought-iron fence. There have been some press invited-Angie Harper, who did an interview earlier this year with Scott and James, and who has become a close friend, and Sport's Illustrated article editor Issac Compton." Nick turned off the tv, pressing a kiss on Ayden's head.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" His girlfriend questioned, intertwining their hands, staring at the ring he had gotten her for her birthday. It was a promise ring, and she wore it proudly.

"Yeah, I am. Not so much about the waking up at eight in the morning part, but everything else is okay. I can't believe there are going to be that many people there-that's the scary part."

"I can't wait to see you in that tux of yours'," Ayden answered, snuggling into his side even more. "Might make me swoon."

"Honey, I'm guaranteed to make you swoon," he whispered against her neck, pressing kisses down the smooth skin. She sighed as she felt him lay her down, their lips connecting in a hot, searing kiss. Haley wasn't at the house that night; she and Nathan had agreed to spend it apart; they wouldn't see one another until the ceremony.

"Nick, how about we- OH GOD!" Nathan exclaimed, turning his head as Nick and Ayden quickly pushed away from one another, putting as much space between their bodies as possible.

"Um…I'm gonna go now. I'll see you…I'll see you later, Nick. And by…by later, I mean tomorrow," Ayden stuttered, gathering her stuff before quickly placing a kiss on his cheek and leaving the room.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Nathan said, looking at the hormonal teenage boy, who was trying to catch his breath. "I didn't know you had company. Um…were you two planning on having sex on my couch?"

"What? No! God, no! I promised her I'd wait for her. We were just…just…"

"Doing everything else but?" Nathan sat by the seventeen-year-old. "I remember what it was like to be seventeen and being over…"

"Please don't say what I think you're about to say. This is already…humiliating…I don't need a speech about sex," Nick murmured, looking at Nathan from beneath the fingers covering his face. "I know what can happen when you don't use a condom; I also know that I would never do that to Ayden. I know that you can get diseases from having sex, but I also know that she's a virgin and I'm clean. So I really don't need this talk; my old high school was like a walking talking 'Reasons you shouldn't have sex' poster."

"Okay…that's a little too much information for me. I was just going to tell you to make sure she's the right one for you and you're the right one for her before you make that kind of decision," Nathan cautioned. "I know."

"I will, Nathan. Ayden and I…were not going to be rash. Especially not with one another to think about. We never have been," Nick answered, scratching the scars on his wrist. "Um…I'm kind of…a little….um…nervous about tomorrow. What happens if I mess up? Will I ruin everything?"

"Nicky, you're giving your sister away and then standing behind Lucas. I don't think you can mess up too badly. I'm not saying that you're not important in it-"

"I know what your saying. In fact, that's kind of reassuring," Nick admitted, chuckling. "Don't you have your bachelor's party to get to?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me going out and you being alone?"

"That's fine, Nathan. I'll be fine. Zeus and Argos are here, and I know where the knives are and the baseball bat is….like I said, I'll be fine," Nick told his future brother-in-law.

"Good. And remember that the alarm button is in the kitchen," Nathan added to the joke, standing up. "You sure you're okay here? I mean, you could come-"

"And make your R-rated fun PG-13? I think not. Plus, I wanted to draw some, so go-leave me alone." Nathan grinned, ruffling Nick's hair as he retreated back upstairs to finish getting ready. He stared at his tux, resting in his closet, and sighed. _Only one more night to wait…_

**----PUSH----**

Nick looked at the paper before him, smiling as he added the finishing touches to the faces of Nathan and Haley. It was his wedding gift to them, part of a series of five drawings he had done. He also had an extra, a small drawing he had done of himself, Haley, Nathan, Tess and the dogs that he was including in his latest letter to his mom.

_Dear Mom,_

_I guess you know what tomorrow is. Nathan and Haley are getting married-finally. It's this whole big thing with lots of people there and lots of flowers-I mean, they're holding it in this place the Summer Gardens, which is just opulent in itself._

_I'm walking Haley down the aisle, Mom. I hope you're proud of her for finding someone that she loves and someone that will treat her right. I also hope you're proud of the family we've made for ourselves with Nathan and Tess. And somewhere inside me-though I will never admit to anyone, including myself-I'm sure I'm wishing that you could be part of our family, too._

_Maybe one day, you know? After you're out and I've forgiven you (which will be a long while, Mom), maybe you can come see our family._

_I'm sorry about missing your hearing. I know it would have meant a lot to you to have some of your family there, but it was just…inconvenient? That sounds really bad, doesn't it? I'm sorry for it sounding bad…but I had school and Haley's been so busy with her wedding….maybe we can make the next one. How did your hearing go?_

_Oh, I included something for you…I hope you like it. I thought you might want a picture…_

_Love you,  
Nick_

He turned back to his drawing, adding a final touch to it as he heard Tess running down the stairs. He put his drawing on the table, standing up to catch her after she jumped the bottom step. "What are you doing, missy?" he asked, giving her a grin as she laughed excitedly.

"We go? Go get pweesents for Mommy and Daddy?"

"Yeah, we'll go get them. Give me a second," Nick answered, grabbing the keys to the car he had gotten for his birthday December 31st. It was a black 2007 Ford Mustang, and he treasured it.

Nick needed a last frame for his picture, but he promised Tess he'd take her to get her parents a gift to go along with his presents. He had also promised her they'd pick up a movie on their way back home, as well as some pizza.

She ended up choosing _Cars_, and he settled her on the couch, handing her a plate with two slices of pizza on it before finishing his presents and wrapping them up. Tomorrow, his sister was getting married. The thought ran through his mind as he returned to Tess, hearing her laugh as the movie began.

**----PUSH----**

Haley smiled as she hugged her brother tight, kissing his cheek. "How was last night?" she asked, looping her arm through his.

"I didn't…I didn't go out with the guys, Haley; I didn't want to ruin their fun," Nick explained quickly, not wanting to get Nathan in trouble.

"Oh. You and Tess stayed home?" Nick nodded, holding her back at an arms' length.

"Haley…you look gorgeous…you know that?" he whispered, giving her a smile. Her own smile grew as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was a strapless satin A-line gown with beaded metallic embroidered split front tulle overlay and cage train.

"Thanks…I mean, I can barely breathe and all, but at least I look pretty," Haley commented, turning to Brooke, who was holding the waist-length veil. "You ready to walk me down the aisle, little brother?"

"No, cause then I'll be alone again," Nick sighed heavily.

"No, you won't, Nicky. You know that…Nathan and I will always be there for you. No matter what. Just…please be happy. I want my family to be happy on my wedding day-"

"I am happy, Hales; just because I'm sad at losing you does not mean that I'm not ecstatic that you are getting married. You deserve this…and I wish you and Nathan so many happy memories and the best of marriages together." She hugged him tight again, kissing his cheek.

"Haley, it's time," Brooke called, watching the siblings give a final smile to one another.

**----PUSH----**

Reverend Tom Griffin looked out over the crowd before back at his Bible as Nathan, Lucas, and Jake joined him. "Nervous?" he asked the dark-headed young man, who's eyes were wide as he watched the aisle.

"Just a little," Nathan admitted, glancing at his brother, who grinned at him.

"You're doing fine, bro. Much calmer than I was at my wedding," Lucas admitted, patting him on the back as the music started. All eyes turned down the aisle, watching Tess walk down it, accompanied by Argos and Zeus, dumping rose leaves here and there, gaining a laugh from the crowd as she ran to her father once she got to the end of the aisle. He hugged her tight, kissing her nose as he sat her down.

Next came the bridesmaids-Brooke, then Peyton and finally Karen, smiling at their respective husbands before going to the brides' side, waiting for the bride as the bridal march started and the three hundred and nine guests rose .

Haley and Nick exchanged looks as they began moving, Haley's arms clasped around Nick's. "I love you, Nicky; you know that?" she whispered as they walked, feeling him leaning over to whisper "Right back at ya," in her ear. She laughed, not noticing how close they had come to the alter, where Nathan stood, tears in his eyes as his beautiful bride reached him, taking her hand, forcing Nick to let her go. She hugged Nicky tight, kissing his cheek, before she felt Nathan grip his hand tight, pulling him into a hug.

"Dearly Beloved," started the Reverend, "we are gathered here today in the presence of witnesses to join Haley Anne James and Nathan Aaron Scott in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace.

"Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?"

"I do," Nick said, giving his sister one final kiss, his almost-brother-in-law one final handshake before joining Lucas and Jake.

"In 1 Corinthians 4-13, it is stated: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

" 'Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

" 'And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.' Remember this as you start your journey together. There will be rough times-there are always rough times. But remember that you love one another conditionally, and your love will see you through.

"Nathan, please repeat after me. I, Nathan Aaron Scott…"

"I, Nathan Aaron Scott-" his voice shook a little.

"take you, Haley Anne James…"

"Take you, Haley Anne James…"

"…To be my lawfully wedded wife…"

"…To be my lawfully wedded wife…"

"…To have and to hold…"

"…To have and to hold…"

"…For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…"

"…For better or worse-" She smiled at him as he continued, reaching up a hand to wipe away his tears for him. "-for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…"

"…To love and to cherish from this day forward as long as we both shall live…"

His breath caught as he repeated the words, feeling her wipe away the last of his tears.

"Now, Haley, repeat after me. I, Haley Anne James…"

"I, Haley Anne James…"

"…take you, Nathan Aaron Scott…"

She stopped momentarily, catching her breath. "…Take you, Nathan Aaron Scott…"

"…To be my lawfully wedded husband…"

"…To be my lawfully wedded husband…"

"…To have and to hold…"

"…To have and to hold…"

"…For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…"

"…For better or worse-" He kissed her hand, encouraging her on. "For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…"

"…To love and to cherish from this day forward as long as we both shall live…"

"…To love and to cherish from this…this day forward as long as we both shall live…" she finished, tightening her hand in his.

"And now, Nathan, if you will take your ring and place it on Haley's hand…" Nathan nodded, turning to Lucas, who handed him the 3 carat platinum and diamond band. "Repeat after me…with this ring, I thee wed…"

"Again?" Nathan whispered, the crowd, Haley, the wedding party, even the reverend, laughing as he slipped the ring on her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed…"

"…and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my soul, heart, and hands."

"…and with it, I bestow…I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my soul…and my heart…and my hands."

"Haley, if you will take your ring and place it on Nathan's hand, please repeat after me…with this ring, I thee wed…"

Haley place the simple platinum band on her husband's hand, smiling up at him as the tears slipped down her face. "With this ring, I thee wed…"

"And with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my soul, heart and hands."

"And with it, I bestow upon thee-yes, you, Nathan Scott-all the treasures of my soul, heart, and hands."

Behind them, they could hear their guests clap for them softly, quieting as the Reverend began to speak again. "We will close-and I'm sure our bride and groom are thankful for it-with the Apache Prayer and a few words. Please bow your heads.

"Now you will fell no rain, for each of you will the shelter for the other.  
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth to the other.  
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.  
Go now to your dwelling, to enter into the days of your life together;  
May your days be good and long upon the earth.

"Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficult and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight. Amen."

Murmurs of 'Amen' ran through the crowd as Nathan and Haley opened their eyes to look at one another, smiling as the Reverend added "With the power invested in me from the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you man and wife! Nathan, it's okay to kiss your bride now!"

Nathan smirked, placing hands on either side of her face as he leaned in to capture her lips. Behind them, the crowd hooted and hollered, a couple of cat calls mixed in as the thunderous clapping took over. When Nathan pulled away, Haley immediately pulled him into a hug, feeling him swing her around. "I love you, Nathan Scott!" she yelled, kissing him again.

"I love you too, my Haley James-Scott," he returned with just as much enthusiasm, hugging her again.

"I am pleased to present to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Nathan and Haley James Scott!"

Rice and flowers mixed in the air as husband and wife ran through the crowd to their limo.

"It's over!" she called excitedly, reaching over to hug her husband as the limo stopped at the cottages of the Gardens and they got out. Haley quickly changed into the white gown she had for the reception, soon making it back to the reception.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you the new Mr. and Mrs. Scott!" the deejay called, the crowd clapping. "If everyone will clear the floor, it's time for the couple's first dance." Haley wrapped her arms around Nathan's shoulders as his arms encircled her waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

_If I would die today, at least I'd know-  
I've found my one true love…_

Haley looked at Nathan as her voice flooded the speakers. "How did you get this?" she asked, continuing to sway to the melodic, slow verse.

"I saw the demo," he responded, kissing her forehead.

_When I was younger I was always told-  
Honey, you're just poor white trash that won't attract a soul…  
No one believed-I wasn't allowed my big dreams…  
Til he found me…and saved me from the cold…_

_I Could die today,  
perish and fade away,  
but I wouldn't care,  
because, standing there,  
my soul…my life…my love._

_He protected me…shielded me from my enemies…  
He savored everyday we were together…  
He saved me from my family…  
Made me promises of forever…_

_I could die today,  
perish and fade away,  
but I wouldn't care,  
because, standing there,  
my soul…my life…my love._

_Stand tall, my love, never look dour…  
be my husband, my lover, my friend…  
never forget what we have overcome..  
you are mine, and I'll remain yours till the end…_

_I could die today-  
oo-ooh baby I could die today-  
perish and fade-I could fade away,  
But I wouldn't care-  
no, I wouldn't care…  
because there you'll be..there you'll be standing there…  
You are..you are my soul  
ooh my soul…  
my life…forever my life…  
my one…and my only true love._

_If I would die today…at least I know..  
I have found my one…true…love_

Haley felt Nathan kiss her as the song ended, and she returned the kiss, never feeling more happy and alive…She loved this life…she wished that it would forever remain this way.


End file.
